


Growing Pains

by Donatellosgirl36



Series: Bound [10]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Family, Family Drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-02
Updated: 2015-12-03
Packaged: 2018-05-04 13:46:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5336279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Donatellosgirl36/pseuds/Donatellosgirl36
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mikey and Kala discover the “joys” of parenthood, while Sarah and Donnie deal with an issue that only they could have. Leo plans for his and Amaya’s one year anniversary. And jealousy threatens to destroy Raph and Cat’s relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stumbling Blocks

**Author's Note:**

> This first chapter also contains a prologue.

**Prologue**

Kala clutched at Mikey’s arm as they stood in awe watching the small hand push apart the shell. A small peep came from inside and Mikey took a step forward. A foot suddenly popped out the hole it had been forming, making the hole larger by pure accident. Part of the shell fell away and two bright blue eyes peered out at them.

Mikey couldn’t take it any longer as he took the few short steps in front of him quickly. Slowly he lifted the tiny turtle from inside. He marveled at how small it was. It fit easily in the palms of his hands. He raised his eyes to meet Kala’s, unshed tears glistening in them. “We have a son.”

He gently laid the tiny turtle in her arms. She ran her fingers softly over his head and along his cheek. His bright blue eyes never leaving her. “A son.” She looked up at her husband. “Our son.”

“I want to see!” Mira’s small cry made the couple remember their rather large audience.

Kala turned so the rest of the family could see the beautiful baby boy. His color was lighter than Mikey’s but other than that they appeared nearly the same.

“He’s gorgeous!” Sarah gushed, tears coming to her eyes. “I barely remember Mira being so small.”

Donnie smiled, his hand resting on his daughter’s head. “It does seem like such a long time ago now.”

Mira grinned. “Can I hold him?”

Sarah frowned. “Not just yet, sweetie. He’s too little right now. You could hurt him accidently.”

Leo wrapped his arm around Amaya. “Have you decided on a name?”

Mikey grinned. “Sorry, bro, but none of the names you picked even made the finales.”

Leo pouted a bit. “How come no one likes the names I pick?”

“They’re way too hard to pronounce for one thing.” Raph provided from his place behind them. Cat was beside him her arms folded. She watched silently, she still wasn’t keen on having kids herself, though over time Mira had broken down that wall a bit. Raph glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “So, what did you decide on?” He prompted.

Mikey’s smile faded a little, his eyes turning back to the little turtle in his wife’s arms. “Well, it came down to Kala’s dad’s name or Father’s. We decided to wait and see which would be best.” He took his son in his arms and watched him for a moment. The baby smiled and cooed. Mikey smiled as well. “I think Kaz suits him best.”

Kala smiled sadly, remembering her father. “I agree.”

Leo stepped forward. He stroked his tiny chin with a large finger. “Welcome to the family, Kaz.”

**Chapter 1 – Stumbling Blocks**

It had been three weeks since Kaz’s hatching. Three weeks of nonstop crying too. Donnie had given the infant dozens of exams fearing that there was something really wrong with him, but he’d found no physical reason for the child’s unhappiness.

Kala and Mikey had been doing their best to keep his wails muffled by keeping him in their room, so his cries wouldn’t echo all over the sewers and draw unwanted attention. But within the walls of the lair his screams could be heard in nearly every room, even with the doors closed. It was becoming definitely unnerving, if not unsettling. The garage above became a sanctuary. The others would sometimes slip up there just to have a few hours of peace.

Kala paced the bedroom with Kaz on her shoulder, his little fists balling in her clothes and hair. She barely noticed the pain when he yanked at it. She was near collapse, her eyes rimmed in dark circles. But her instinct to comfort her child kept her on her feet.

There was a knock on the door. “Come in.” Kala called a little louder than his cries.

Sarah stepped in with Amaya. She frowned at Kala’s appearance. “Here let me try for a while. You need some rest.”

Kala reluctantly released him into her arms. He quieted just for a moment as he was shifted from one woman to the other. Sarah softly stroked his arms and head, humming softly in his ear. Amaya spoke from the doorway. “Sarah and I have discussed many herbal remedies. And I believe we may have found something that might soothe him.”

Kala sat heavily on the bed. “Oh, I hope so.”

“It may make him a bit drowsy though.” Sarah continued to rock the small turtle in her arms. He bellows had been replaced by hiccups.

Kala frowned. “It would be really nice to get some sleep. But you’re sure it won’t hurt him?”

Sarah shook her head. “No. I’d give it to Mira without a second thought. It’s mostly mint with a little something for pain.”

Kala yawned. She’d try almost anything at this point. They’d already tried so many things like turning the temperature down, wrapping him in a warm blanket, feeding him nearly constantly, trying live worms instead of the formula, trying milk instead of formula and the list went on. But nothing had worked so far. So trying an herbal remedy was not a farfetched option. She only prayed it work. “Did you tell Mikey?”

“No, he is still sleeping on the couch.” Amaya said as she moved forward to urge Kala to lie down. “Just as you should be.”

“We’ll watch over Kaz.” Sarah assured her.

Kala yawned again as she laid back, her eyes beginning to shut of their own accord. “If you’re sure…”

Sarah didn’t bother to answer, because within seconds Kala was asleep. The two women left the room, closing the door behind them. Kaz continued to fret between hiccups and Sarah continued to rock him as they walked through the living room, past Mikey who was sprawled on one of the couches. His eyes too were rimmed in dark circles. After days without sleep, the couple had decided to try to work in shifts.

Sarah settled into a chair at the table while Amaya went to the teapot and poured the warm liquid over the crushed herbs they had prepared. She stirred in just a little at a time until it was a paste. Sarah laid Kaz on his shell and rubbed gentle but firm circles on his plastron. The little turtle quieted in the new position, he blinked up at her with teary eyes. She smiled softly, continuing the circles.

“Hey, you got him to be quiet.” Leo smiled as he entered the room with Mira.

“Master Splinter used to do this with Mira.” She smiled sadly. “I’m still trying to remember all the tricks he taught me.”

“That seems like a really long time ago.” He patted his little student on the head.  “You’ve grown up way too fast, Mira-chan.”

Mira grinned. “Mommy, want to see what I learned today?”

She smiled, but continued her gentle massage. “Maybe in a little while, sweetheart. Right now I have to look after Kaz.”

The little girl frowned at her cousin. “He sure is loud.” Sarah frowned at her daughter and Mira’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry.”

“We must always use kind words, Mira.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Leo moved across the room to Amaya’s side.  She smiled up at him and he brushed a hand through her hair before placing a kiss on her cheek.  Had they been alone he might have kissed her in truth but they both tended to be far more reserved around the others. “Have you found something that might help?”

“Yes, if he is having any internal pain this should help.”

Kaz began to cry again, Sarah’s ministrations losing their potency.  She propped him up in the crook of her arm. “Is it ready?”

Amaya retrieved a spoon and scooped up the paste. She handed it to Sarah, who gently nudged the baby’s mouth open. Leo frowned. “Are you sure that’ll be enough? It’s such a small amount.”

Sarah nodded. “Yes, it’ll be plenty. He’s still so young. We don’t want to overload his system.”

Kaz made a face and drooled some out the side of his mouth. Leo smirked. “Father always did have a hard time getting Mikey to take medicine, looks like this little guy is going to take after him there.”

Sarah just scooped the drool, paste and all back into his mouth with the ease of a practiced hand. “It might be a bit bitter for him. Amaya, would you get him a small sip of apple juice.”

The other woman did as asked. And after the small sip of sweet liquid cleansed his tongue, he yawned. They all smiled. “That’s a good sign.” Leo murmured.

“Is he going to go to sleep now?” Mira was as relieved as the rest of them.

Sarah rocked him softly and the little turtle’s eyes began to close at last. There was a soft shuffling at the doorway and everyone turned to see Mikey there. He blinked in surprise at the sight that met him. “How did you…?” He stepped forward, putting a hand on the back of Sarah’s chair. “I thought something was wrong because I didn’t hear him crying.”

“Nope, everything is just fine now.” Sarah smiled up at him. “You can thank Amaya and I’s magic potion. We’re geniuses.” Amaya giggled and he smirked.

“I honestly don’t care what you did, as long as he sleeps for a little while.”

Leo looked around. “Speaking of geniuses, where’s Donnie at? I haven’t seen him all afternoon.”

Amaya smiled. “He said he was going to help Raphael and Cat in the shop.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Though I doubt that was his real reason for going up there.”

Leo chuckled. “I’ll go see what he’s really up to. Mike, you should get some sleep while you can.” He patted his brother’s shoulder as he left the room.

Mikey nodded. “I’ll put Kaz in his bed.” He gently lifted the infant and headed for his room.

Sarah slumped in her chair. It was a relief to finally have a few minutes of quiet. That was before Mira started pulling at her arm with pleas for her to see her new ninja skill. Sarah sighed heavily and Amaya chuckled. “I could make some more of our magic potion.”

Sarah grinned. “That’s very tempting.” The two women laughed as she allowed Mira to pull her from the chair and into the dojo.

Leo stepped out into the garage to find Cat sweeping. She looked just as tired as the rest of them. He glanced around. “Hey, where are Raph and Donnie? Aren’t they supposed to be helping you?”

She gave him a half frown that held a touch of amusement. “Oh, my helpers? I didn’t realize that was what they were supposed to be, because they’ve been sleeping in the back corner since they came up here.”

Leo returned her half frown, but couldn’t hold it as he was overcome with a chuckle. “I’ll go make sure they realize it too. By the way, Kaz is finally asleep. You should go grab a few hours while you can.”

She yawned and glanced around at the unfinished cycle that was propped on a sawhorse. She smirked. “I think I’ll do just that. Tell Raph he needs to finish that one over there before he can come to bed.”

Leo chuckled again as he turned and headed for the small sitting area in the back where there were two couches and a coffee table. He heard the elevator door close behind him as he approached his two brothers who were spread across the couches. He shook his head in dismay. “Hey guys, working hard?”

Donnie sat up nearly immediately, a slight reddish tint to his cheeks. “Uh, hey, Leo.”

Raph groaned. “Give us a break, man. Kaz has kept us up nearly as much as Mikey and Kala.”

Leo folded his arms. “I know that and that was why I came to tell you that he’s finally asleep.”

Donnie blinked at him in surprise. “He is?”

“Yeah, Amaya and Sarah came up with some concoction they called a magic potion. I don’t know what was in it but it sure put him to sleep.”

Raph stood. “Good then that means I can finally go sleep in my own bed.”

Leo smirked. “Sorry, Raph, but Cat said since you weren’t up here really helping out that you have to finish that bike over there before you can go to bed.”

Raph’s eyes grew large and he glanced at the bike in question. “But-but that’ll take half the night!”

Leo’s smirk grew a little. “I’m just the messenger.” He turned his gaze to his other brother. “And I think Sarah knows you were up here sleeping, Don.”

Donnie sighed and rubbed his face. “I’m sure she does.” He stood and stretched. “Speaking of which, I’d better go see how much trouble I’m in.” He started for the elevator and Leo followed.

Raph glared at both of them as they disappeared around the corner. He called after them. “Sure, leave me with all the work!”

In the dojo, Sarah was knelt to one side watching Mira do a roundhouse kick. She clapped her hands and smiled. Mira was certainly catching on quickly. It was likely due to the fact that Mira was Leo’s only student and he could take as much time with her as he needed. “You’re doing great, Mira!”

“Watch this!” Mira threw a series of punches at an invisible enemy.

Sarah grinned and clapped again. “You’re definitely looking good!” Donnie slipped in and knelt beside her. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She gave him an amused half smile. “Have a good nap?”

She felt a bubble of relief wash over him as he returned the smile and squeezed her hand. “Yes. I hear you and Amaya have been working miracles in the meantime.”

Her smile widened. “Yes, I think he’s finally comfortable and he may even sleep through the night.”

“Daddy, daddy!” Mira ran up to them. “Can you show me how to do a backflip?”

Donnie frowned. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’re still too small. Uncle Leo is your sensei. What did he say?”

She pouted a little. “He said I had to wait, but you can show me.”

Donnie shook his head. “I could but I won’t. You have to learn to listen to your sensei. If he says no, I won’t go against his wishes.”

Mira frowned. “Okay.”

“Mira, why don’t you show your daddy what you learned today. I’m going to start dinner.” Sarah kissed him on the cheek before heading for the kitchen.

Donnie watched for a while as Mira performed a series of roundhouse kicks and then they headed back into the living room. Leo and Amaya were settled on one of the couches watching a game show. Or rather Leo was watching the game show. Amaya was curled against him, her head resting on his chest and her eyes closed.

Mira ran around to jump up beside them but paused. She grinned. “She’s asleep.”

Leo returned the grin. “Yes, let’s not wake her. Okay?”

Mira nodded. “Can I watch the show with you?”

Leo patted the couch on his other side and she climbed up to sit next to him. Donnie smiled to himself as he left them for his lab. He’d recently picked up some circuit boards from the junkyard and needed to give them a good cleaning. He dumped them on his desk and proceeded to clean them with a rag while prying them apart with the screwdriver.

Sarah stirred the pot of noodles, mapping out the ingredients for her special spaghetti sauce. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her left hand. She knew it was Donnie by the way the bond pulsed suddenly with irritation and a bit of guilt. She instinctively looked down at her hand, which had been resting on the counter. She was surprised to see a cut forming on her palm. She stared at it for a long moment, before turning and heading for the lab.

She found Donnie sitting at his desk a rag pressed to his left hand. He looked up. “I’m sorry, the screwdriver got away from me. But I’m okay, it’s not deep.” Not knowing how to explain exactly what had happened, she lifted her left hand to show him the cut that still bled. He came out of his chair, grasping her wrist. “How did this happen?”

She shook her head. “It just appeared there when I sensed your pain.”

He was stunned. “What?”

She took his left hand and turned it over so she could see his wound. The cuts looked identical. And then to their utter amazement, they both began to fade. They both gasped as the wounds disappeared altogether. Dread clenched her heart. “What do you suppose it means?”

He wrapped her tightly in his arms, trying desperately to squash her growing fear. “I don’t know, but we’ll find out, okay? Everything will be alright, I promise.”

Her hot tears fell on his bicep. “But what if it’s not? What if it means something’s wrong?”

He sighed as he held her even tighter. “We don’t know that. But we know someone who may know.”

She leaned back a little to give him a watery half smile. “Marina.”

“Yes.” He swiped away her tears with his thumbs. “Let’s go make a really long distance phone call.” She leaned into him again, allowing their love for one another to wash over them and to soothe her fears.


	2. Secrets

The little screen in the center of the cruiser’s control board lit up. Sarah smiled at the younger version of herself.  “Marina! Oh, you look great!”

“You do too, sis. Why haven’t you called before now? I’ve been wondering all this time what happened to you.” Marina certainly looked a lot more mature and her hair had grown out cascading over one shoulder.

Donnie smiled at her apologetically. “Sorry, but it was a tactical decision. We didn’t want to draw unwanted attention to our planet by sending messages all the time.”

Marina looked a little disappointed. “Oh, I see. So, why the call now?”

Sarah and Donnie exchanged a look. “We need your help.” Sarah explained softly. They proceeded to describe what had happened earlier.

Marina frowned deeply. “It certainly sounds like it could be a byproduct of bonding, but I’ve never heard of that before.”

Donnie frowned. “Really?”

“I’ve heard of couples who go from merely knowing when the other is injured to feeling the other’s pain, but not actually transferring of injuries like that.”

“Do you think you could find anything out for us?” Sarah pleaded.

Marina nodded firmly. “Absolutely, but it may take me a few days to find anything solid. How about you give me a call back in three days? We’re supposed to be doing research in a solar system near Earth then. We might as well swing by. After all you haven’t got to meet my mate yet.” She grinned.

Sarah smiled back. “There’s someone we’d like you to meet too.”

Marina raised an eyebrow. “Alright, talk to you in three days. Okay?” They said their goodbyes and the screen went dark. The cruiser was filled with silence as the couple contemplated the seriousness of what they’d just been told. No couple in Mazar recent history had experienced this before.

Donnie could feel Sarah’s fears begin to creep back to the surface. He smiled mischievously. “You know, it’s really nice and quiet in here and no one’s going to bother us for a while. Leo said he’d watch Mira, so why don’t we take advantage of it?”

Sarah couldn’t help but giggle as she felt the spike of arousal from him. She moved to slip into his lap in the co-captain’s chair. “I’m all ears.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.

He tilted her head so he could attack her neck. He nipped her ear. “I like your ears a lot but that’s not what I want right now.” He nipped her ear again, making her gasp and shiver.

She turned her head to capture his lips and he lifted her small frame into his arms. He carried her back to lay her upon the single cot in the back.  It was always the same – a beautiful cycle of passion. Love giving to desire giving to arousal giving to ecstasy and giving again to love, continuing until they were spent and sleep overtook them.

&*&*&*&*&*

Raph frowned at his bedroom door. He’d spent the past two hours working all by himself, when he could have been down here sleeping in his nice warm bed. He pushed the door open and closed it a little rougher than he meant to. He sat heavily on the side of the bed and began removing his gear.

Cat rolled over and stared at his back. She could already tell there was something wrong. “What is it?” He grumbled something incoherent and she frowned. “I didn’t catch that.”

“I said how come you left me a whole bike to put back together by myself?”

Cat frowned at the roughness in his tone. “Number one, that was not a whole bike it was just the drive shaft. And number two, you left me to clean the whole garage by myself while you went off to take a nap.”

He snorted. “Yeah, but at least you get to go upstairs for several hours and get a little peace. The first time the kid goes to sleep and I have to stay up there and work.”

Cat sat up, her eyes narrowing. “What is that supposed to mean? What do you think I do up there all day? I work my butt off! And if you’ve forgotten I come down here to sleep at night, just like everyone else which means I have to listen to him cry too.”

He suddenly stood up, pulling his belt back on. Snatching his bike keys from the nightstand he stomped towards the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Cat quipped.

He shot her a glare over his shoulder. “For a ride.” He stepped out the door and it slammed slightly behind him.

Leo glanced up at him as he crossed the living room, headed for the elevator. “Can you keep it down, Raph? We just got Kaz to sleep, remember?”

Raph glared at him. “Don’t worry, I’m leaving.”

He stepped into the elevator as Cat came running down the hall. “Raph? Raphael!”

He just shot her another glare as the doors closed. Cat sank onto the nearest sofa and buried her face in her hands with a heavy sigh.

Leo frowned at her. “Having a fight?” She nodded without looking up. “I find chamomile tea helps after a fight with Raph. It works even better if you put a little saké in it.”

Cat’s head shot up and she blinked at him in surprise. “Leo…” She began to laugh. “I would’ve never guessed that’s what you’ve been doing all this time.” She pressed a hand to her mouth to muffle the brewing laughter.

Leo smirked. “What? I had to figure out some way to cope with him. And I don’t do it all the time just when we have a big blow out.” His smile broadened. “Believe me, you’ll sleep like a baby – uh, sort of speak.” Cat pressed her other hand to her mouth as big tear drops ran down her cheeks from her attempt at silencing her amusement. He gestured to the small bundle next to him. “If you’ll put Mira to bed, I’ll help you make a cup.”

Cat took a few deep breaths before attempting to speak. “That sounds good.” She scooped up the small turtle, who wasn’t so very small anymore, and carried her to her room. She tucked her in and returned to find Leo coming out of his and Amaya’s room. He’d carried his sleeping bride to bed.

He smiled at his sister-in-law. “Now, let me show you where I keep the good saké at.”

&*&*&*&*

Raph’s bike roared around a curb. He turned off into central park, coming to a stop beside the lake. He sighed as he leaned on the handlebars. ‘ _What am I doing? Cat was right after all. I did leave her with all the work after I promised I’d help out.’_ He sighed again. ‘ _This is stupid. We’re all stressed from lack of sleep. I should go home and apologize. I’m sure she’ll understand. I hope I didn’t upset her too much.’_

He turned his bike around and headed home. It had been about an hour when Raph pulled his bike to a stop in the back parking lot and went inside. As the elevator doors opened on the lair, he started for his room but stopped when he heard voices coming from the kitchen. He paused, listening.

“Yeah, then he fell face first into the sewer sludge!”

Cat laughed at whatever anecdote Leo was telling her. “He never told me that story.”

Leo laughed as well. “He wouldn’t.”

Raph growled with a sudden realization. They were laughing at him! He stomped into the kitchen to find Leo and Cat sitting together each with a mug of tea. “How could you! How could you sit here and laugh! I’m such an idiot!” He turned and stomped back out into the living room.

“Raph, wait!” Cat caught up with him quickly. She grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn and look her. “Raph, please?”

He glowered. “I came back here to apologize and I find you buddy-buddy with Leo! Laughing at me! What the hell, Cat!”

Tears formed in her eyes. “It’s not like that! Leo was trying to make me feel better. You ran off before we could talk about what happened. Besides, Leo’s my brother too. I can talk to him if I want to.” She swayed slightly, the tears trickling down her cheeks.

Raph raised an eye ridge at her. “Are you drunk?”

“No.” She swayed again and he caught her shoulders. “Okay, maybe a little.”

Leo appeared in the doorway. He frowned at his younger brother. “Sorry, bro, but believe me she needed it.”

Raph frowned as well as Leo crossed the few steps through the living room to his room. Raph turned his gaze back to his wife. Her emerald eyes stared up at him with heartache etched into them as tears continued to fill them. He swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.” He pulled her into a crushing embrace. “I’m so stupid.” He knew now that she was hurting. They’d had little tiffs from time to time but nothing like that – nothing that drove him to leave.

“That’s okay.” She squeezed him as tight as she could. “I fell in love with you as a big stupid lug and I’ll always love you as one.”

He lifted her chin and wiped away her tears. He graced her with a small half smile. “I love you too, darlin’. Now let’s get you to bed.” He lifted her gently into his arms and carried her down the hall to their room.

When Donnie and Sarah arrived back in the lair it was quiet. They checked on Mira and then were satisfied to go to bed. Morning brought with it a renewed sense of tentative peace. As they gathered around the kitchen table for breakfast even Kaz seemed content. Kala cradled him in the crook of her arm as she ate. Beside her Mikey fed him mouthfuls of the formula in between shoveling food into his own mouth.

Cat cradled her head as she poked at her eggs while Raph rubbed her back absently. She could have sworn that the saké hangover was worse than a Jack Daniel’s one, which she’d experienced several times in her youth. Even the aspirin wasn’t doing much good.

Only Leo and Amaya seemed particularly at ease. Both calmly sipped at their tea. Leo turned to Donnie and Sarah, who’d been rather quiet all morning. “So, where did you guys go off to last night?”

The couple shared a look and Donnie squeezed Sarah’s hand. They’d discussed it and had decided it was best not to tell the others just yet, at least not until they knew more about what was going on. Sarah managed a small smile. “Well, we’re going to have guests in a few days.”

Everyone looked up. They couldn’t begin to guess who she meant. Donnie cleared his throat. “Yes, uh, Marina is coming to visit.”

Mikey lit up. “Marina, really?”

Raph cracked a smile for the first time that day. “How is that squirt?”

Sarah chuckled. “Not so little anymore.”

Leo blinked. “Did you say ‘guests’?”

Sarah nodded. “Yes, she’ll be bringing her mate. Apparently he’s some type of scientist, who’s researching inhabitable planets.”

“Yes, they’re supposed to be passing near our solar system and thought they’d swing by.” Donnie added.

“Who’s Marina?” Kala scooped a little of the homemade formula into Kaz’s mouth.

“Oh, I forgot you guys never met her. She’s my half-sister. But we haven’t seen her in a long time, not since before we got married.” Sarah smiled up at Donnie remembering that day so very long ago. They had been married eight years now. He squeezed her hand a little tighter and smiled back.

Mira sat up a little straighter. “You mean I have another aunt?”

A chuckle went around the table. Donnie smiled. “Yeah, I guess you do.”

Mira grinned, forgetting her plate of food. “Wow, does she look like you, Mommy?”

A sly smile crossed Donnie’s face. “Yes, she does actually.” He kissed his wife’s hand. “But she’s not nearly as pretty.”

Sarah laughed. “I think you’re bias.”

Amaya smiled at their banter. “Is there anything we can do to help prepare for their arrival?”

Sarah thought about that for a moment. “Well, I probably should clean out that spare room again.”

As the others got up and started cleaning the kitchen and leaving, Leo looked at Cat with a bit of guilt. “Gosh, Cat, I didn’t realize you were a light weight.”

Raph snorted. “Shut up, Leo.”

Cat lifted her head to glare at Leo but it quickly turned into amusement. “You better watch it, Leo. I know where you keep that bottle at now.”

Leo chuckled as he stood. “Hmm, maybe that wasn’t such a good idea showing you my hiding place.”

Cat laughed and then groaned as she clutched her head. Raph shook his head as he stood as well. “Go get some more sleep, darlin’. Don’t worry about the shop today, okay?”

Cat grunted in response and slumped a little further in her chair as the guys left for practice. A few minutes later she did exactly as suggested, after a round of heaving in the toilet that is. Amaya and Sarah prepared the spare room, while Kala watched Mira and Kaz. The newest member of the family seemed more alert than he had in the past few weeks. Now that his crying had ceased he was finding the world around him interesting.

He watched as Mira practiced writing in her notebook. The young girl preferred math and was preforming in leaps and bounds in it. Even her reading and writing were off the scale for a child her age. But Sarah insisted she still had to learn other things such as history and art. But at present she was practicing her spelling words for the day.

Kala looked from one child to the other, admiring their similarities and differences. These two cousins were likely to grow up more like siblings and that made her smile. She loved the relationship that Mikey had with his brothers and she hoped that Mira and Kaz’s relationship would be as strong.

&*&*&*&*

The next few days went by without incident and on the third day Donnie and Sarah returned to the cruiser to send out a signal to Marina. As promised her response was quick as the little screen lit up with her image. “Hey, guys.”

Donnie gave a cordial greeting. “Hey, Marina. Were you able to find anything out?”

Marina frowned. “Well, yes and no. I dug and dug but didn’t really come up with a lot, so I asked an elder that I know and she told me to check the archives on Mazaryn.”

Sarah’s frown was deeper. “So, you weren’t able to find anything out?” Donnie reached across the space between them to hold her hand. He could feel the fear that had settled over the past few days resurface with a vengeance.

“I had to go really far back into our history to find something like what you were describing. Even then it sounded more like this fairytale I found in this book.” She held up a leather bound book that was worn and cracked. “Do you know how hard it is to find an actual book in a society where everything is digital?”

Donnie was becoming exasperated with her. “Marina, please. Just tell us what you found out?”

Marina sighed and flipped through the book until she came to a certain section. “There’s only one story in here that sounds like what’s happening to you. It’s about a couple who were born into opposing families. The couple became bonded despite the fact that their parents tried to separate them. They develop the ability to absorb the other’s injuries.” She frowned, closing the book. “But…”

“But what?” Sarah almost demanded.

“The ending is not so happy. They both die after a battle where both are injured.” Marina’s eyes held true remorse at this information. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t find anything better.”

Sarah suddenly stood and rushed out of the cruiser to expel her stomach on the tunnel floor. Donnie stood to go after her, but Marina stopped him. “Donnie, we’ll be there in about an hour. Could you meet us in central park about where I…uh, landed last time?”

“Yeah, see you there.” He left the ship as she disconnected the signal. He found Sarah knelt on the ground, sobbing. He pulled her into his arms.

“I’m sorry.” She wept into his chest. “I’m so sorry, Donnie.”

He frowned as a wave of her guilt hit him. He pushed back to look at her. “Sarah, this is not your fault.”

She wept harder. “It is! If it weren’t for me, you could go on fighting just like you have – just like you should. I’ve become a hindrance to you!”

“Sarah, look at me!” He cupped her face, forcing her gaze up. He locked his eyes with hers. “Never, not even for an instant, have I ever thought you were a burden! You’re the source of my strength. You remind me of all that life has given me and all that life still has to give.” He trembled as he pulled her against him again, holding her as tight as he could. “So, don’t you ever say that again. Don’t ever feel like you’re holding me back, because you _are_ my reason for living.”

She sobbed harder still as she clutched at him. They sat that way for a while, allowing the torrent of emotions to flood over them. Donnie kept pressing his love for her forward, until at last the deluge subsided. Her small body shook as the tears died away. He lifted her chin and kissed her. There was no way he could express his love and gratitude for her fully in words and so he tried to show her with the kiss, exposing his heart to her through the bond as he deepened it.

As it ended, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in it. Guilt still ate at her heart but she did her best to push it aside. Maybe this wouldn’t be permanent. Maybe it would just make them stronger. But in the meantime, it meant that Donnie would have to be extremely careful in battle. It meant that they were both very vulnerable. Her mind went back to the fairytale Marina had told them about. Her arms tightened around her mate. ‘ _No, I won’t let that happen! We won’t be like them, I swear!’_


	3. The Best Laid Plans

Leo pulled the van to a stop near the place Marina’s cruiser had crashed many years earlier. He and Amaya had decided to go with Donnie and Sarah to meet them. As they piled out Donnie glanced around. “This is where she told us to meet her.”

There was a flicker of light and suddenly less than fifty feet away a ship appeared. Dropping its cloak as the door opened and three figures came out. The one in front was a bit shorter and rushed forward to embrace Sarah. The two girls laughed. Marina grinned like crazy, but her eyes held concern. “Are you okay?”

Sarah chuckled and managed a weak smile. “I’m not really sure yet.”

Donnie reached over and took her hand, lending her his silent strength. That’s when Marina noticed Leo. She rushed over to hug him. “It’s so good to see you again.”

Leo smiled. “It’s been a long time.”

Amaya blinked at the girl, who so resembled Sarah. ‘ _He was not joking when he said they were nearly identical.’_

Leo wrapped an arm around her waist. “This is my wife, Amaya.” Marina pulled the startled woman into a hug while Leo laughed.

“Oh, yeah.” Marina hurried back to the two men that had come with her. She snaked her arm through the taller one’s arm. “This is my mate, Stin.” He was tall with short dark hair. He offered them a pleasant smile. “And this is his assistant, Dandrick.”

She indicated the other man, who had long black hair pulled back at the nape of his neck. The man was a bit younger. He flashed them a brilliant smile. “I’m pleased to meet you.”

Sarah stepped back into Donnie. The man gave her a strange feeling. It wasn’t like what she’d felt all those years ago from Marina. This was much less solid, more of a sense of foreboding than anything else. Donnie blinked down at her as his arm came up to encompass her. “Why don’t we go home, so we can talk.”

Marina frowned as they followed him to the van. “I’m sorry I couldn’t find any more information. But I did bring the book.” She held up the leather bond volume.

Leo glanced at her as he got back into the driver’s seat. “What are you talking about?”

Donnie shook his head. “Let’s talk about it when we get home.”

Leo frowned, his intuition telling him that there was definitely something wrong. But instead of questioning his brother right there, he turned on the van and headed for the garage. As they pulled into the parking lot, Marina looked around in confusion. “Where are we?”

“This is our new home. The old lair was washed away by a storm several years ago.” Leo explained as he led the way inside.

Dandrick grinned as his eyes landed on the three bikes that were in various stages of repair inside the garage. “Hey, these remind me of my racer I had when I was a kid.”

“This is Cat’s shop, she’s a mechanic.” Donnie explained as they turned and headed for the elevator.

Dandrick hurried after them. “Cat?”

“Yeah, you’ll meet her in a minute.” Donnie pulled Sarah close as the doors closed and the elevator began its decent.

When the doors opened into the lair it was pretty evident chaos was taking place. Mira was chasing a ball through the living room, Raph and Mikey were fighting over the video game they were playing, something smelt like it was burning in the kitchen and Kaz was in the middle of another scream fest. Kala turned with him in her arms. “Oh, thank goodness. He started screaming a little while ago and I can’t get him to stop.”

Sarah couldn’t help but laugh at the craziness that had somehow taken place in less than an hour since they’d left. “Sounds like he needs some more magic potion.”

Leo sniffed. “What’s that smell?”

Raph looked up from his argument to answer. “Cat said she wanted to make hamburgers.”

Sarah’s eyebrows shot into her hairline. “Cat’s cooking?” Then she went pale. “My kitchen!” She turned and sprinted for the other room.

Donnie laughed as Kala called after her. “Hey, what about Kaz!”

Amaya chuckled and rubbed the little turtle’s head. “I will get it.” She turned and headed for the kitchen as well but at a more dignified pace.

Mira had caught her ball and had returned to stare at Marina. The young woman looked down at the five year old and her jaw nearly hit the floor. There staring up at her was a pair of big brown eyes, the same eyes that she and Sarah had. She knelt down to her level before looking up at Donnie. “Is this…?”

He smiled. “Yes, this is our daughter. Mira, this is your Aunt Marina.”

Mira smiled too. “You look just like my mommy.”

Marina clapped her hands. “She’s precious!” She scooped the little turtle into her arms and Mira giggled. Behind them Stin smiled. He hadn’t said much on the way to the lair but it was easy to tell he was a man of deep thought.

Mikey came around the couches. “Hey, don’t hog all the hugs little dudette.”

Marina stood and hugged him and Raph. “I sure have missed you guys.”

Mikey put an arm around Kala. “And you haven’t met everyone yet, this is Kala and Kaz.”

Her eyes widened and she gushed much as Sarah had done. “He’s so cute! How old is he?”

Kala smiled, while still trying to get the infant to hush. “He’s almost four weeks.”

“He’s so tiny!” Marina touched his little fist and he paused momentarily in his fussing to stare at her. The peace didn’t last long though before he began a new round of squawks.

Leo laughed and gestured to the couches. After the introductions were made and they’d all settled down, Cat appeared in the doorway. She grinned while carrying a tray with a large pile of hamburgers on it. Dandrick watched the blonde move across the room, her tight fitting leather pants accenting her curves. He smirked when she bent over to place the tray on the coffee table, which gave him a nice view of her breasts.

Cat dusted her hands and gave a satisfied smile. “Not bad for my first attempt in ten years.”

Sarah appeared in the doorway to the kitchen a scowl in place. “Yeah, but did you have to sacrifice my favorite skillet?” She turned the offended piece of cookware over examining the burn mark that went right through its center.

Raph chuckled as he picked up a hamburger. “I’m sure they’re great, darlin’.” He pulled her down into his lap while taking a bite.

Amaya returned and handed over the gooey medicine and a cup of juice to Mikey. As the couple coaxed the baby into taking it, the others grabbed a burger from the pile. They all ate quietly for a few minutes. Cat grinned as she took a bite of her own burger. “Well, how are they? Great, right?”

Mira made a face. “Are they supposed to be crunchy?”

“And greasy?” Mikey asked.

“Hey!” Cat protested.

“Hey, guys, Cat worked hard on these.” Leo said.

Cat smiled. “Thanks, Leo.”

“Yeah, the least we can do is force ourselves to eat every bite.” He finished.

“What? Hey, wait! What’s that supposed to mean!”

Behind Cat’s back, Raph tried his best not to choke on the bite he’d just taken, while also trying not to let the laughter overtake him. He coughed. “Leo!”

Marina frowned at her burger. “Why do you guys always feed me weird stuff when I come here?”

Mikey sat up. “My pizzas are not weird, they’re creative.”

“Only to you, Mikey.” Donnie provided from the other couch.

“Speaking of visits, do you want to tell us the real reason for your visit?” Leo asked her.

Marina glanced at Sarah, who exchanged a look with Donnie. Sarah sighed. “Show them.”

“Now don’t freak out guys.” Donnie pulled his dagger from his belt.

Leo’s eyes went wide. “What are you doing?”

“Just watch.” He ran the blade across his palm just hard enough to cause a cut to form. The brothers were instantly on their feet.

“What are you thinking!”

“Are you crazy, Donnie!”

“What’d you do that for!”

Donnie looked at Sarah, who turned over her hand to show the same cut. They all blinked in confusion then gasped as the cuts began to disappear. “We don’t know exactly what it means.” Donnie sheathed his dagger.

“We called Marina to see if this was something related to the bonding we didn’t know about.” Sarah said.

“And?” Leo prompted.

Marina sighed. “I wasn’t able to find out much. The only thing I was able to find was this fairytale.” She held up the book again. “I asked around but no one seemed to have ever heard of it.”

Stin leaned forward. “I too asked around, but none of my colleagues have ever heard of the bonding process going so far as to transfer injuries.”

“How long has this been happening?” Amaya asked.

“Just a few days.” Sarah answered.

Leo frowned at his brother. “Donnie, you shouldn’t have kept this from us. What if we’d gone on patrol and you’d gotten hurt?”

“We’ve both been extra careful the last few days.” Donnie explained.

“Yeah, but you’re a member of this team. We need to know if you’re compromised.” Leo said sternly.

“We wanted to wait until we had more information, Leo. How can I tell you something, if I don’t even know what’s going on?” Donnie pointed out.

Marina frowned. “This could be just temporary or a transitional phase of some type. It’s just too early to tell for sure.”

Leo suddenly stood and began to pace. He finally turned to stare at the couple, coming to a decision. “Donnie, I’m sorry, but you can’t go on patrol anymore. At least not until we know what’s going on.”

Sarah’s heart clenched. This was what she’d feared all along. Donnie would not be allowed to participate in their patrols or possibly even training. She came off the couch. “No, Leo! You can’t do that! Please! Don’t do this!”

Leo frowned and shook his head. “As head of this family it’s my responsibility to consider what is best for the overall good. If it means keeping both of you safe, then it’s what we’ll have to do….for now at least.”

“But Leo, you can’t just-“

Donnie stood and took her shoulders, turning her to face him. “It’s alright, Sarah. Leo’s right.”

Tears streamed her face. “No, it’s not fair!” She turned and ran to their bedroom slamming the door behind her.

Leo frowned. “Donnie, I just think…”

“You don’t have to explain, Leo. I understand. I’d do the same thing. And I definitely don’t want to be the weak link in battle.” He patted his eldest brother on the shoulder. “I’ll go talk to her.”

Leo nodded as Donnie left. Then he turned his gaze on their guests. “Would you guys mind staying a few days? Maybe between us we can figure out what’s happening.”

Stin nodded. “I don’t see a problem with it.”

Amaya went to stand beside Leo. She knew the decision hurt him as much as it had his brother. She squeezed his hand. “I am going to clean the kitchen.” He nodded and she left.

Cat eyed the pile of uneaten hamburgers. “Hey, wait. There are still a lot of hamburgers left. Do you want some more, Mikey?”

The turtle in question forced a smile. “Uh, no thanks, all full.”

Kala laughed. “I never thought I’d hear that phrase come out of your mouth.”

Raph snickered and Cat elbowed him. Dandrick reached over and picked up another hamburger. “I think I’ll try another.” Everyone stared at him in astonishment. “Mmm, I think they’re quite good actually.”

Cat grinned. “Ha! At least someone appreciates my hard work.”

Raph pulled her back against him. “Darlin’, I think you should stick to fixin’ motorcycles not food.”

She groaned. “That reminds me. I need to go finish that Honda before bed. I promised the guy I’d have it ready in the morning.”

Raph rubbed her shoulders. “I’ll come help after practice, okay?”

She smiled at him. “Alright, but don’t forget.” She rose and took the elevator upstairs. Raph left with Leo for the dojo

Mikey took Kaz from Kala. The little guy was sleeping contentedly. “I’ll put him to bed.” He too then headed for the dojo.

Kala touched Mira’s shoulder. The young turtle looked up. She’d been transfixed on her parents’ door since they’d left. Her empathic ability obviously telling her how upset her mother really was. “Mira, can you go help Aunt Amaya clean the kitchen?” She nodded somberly and did as she was asked. Kala turned to Marina. “We do have a spare room ready but we didn’t realize you’d be bringing someone else with you. Do mind taking the couch, Dandrick?”

The young man smiled his flashy smile. “No problem. I’m used to being the third wheel.”

Kala smiled politely. “Then I’ll bring you a blanket and a pillow. If you guys will come with me I’ll show the spare room.” She led Marina and Stin down the hall to their temporary bedroom.

Dandrick looked around. He was alone in large living room that had just moments ago been filled to capacity. He set down the half eaten hamburger and stepped around the couch to the elevator. As he rode the elevator up, he wondered how long the one that wore red would be busy.

Cat looked up at the sound of shoes on the concrete floor. “Dandrick, right? Can I help you with something?”

“You can call me Danny, all my friends do. And no I thought maybe I could help you. I used to ride bikes back on my home planet, got pretty good at fixing them too.”

Cat looked back down at the bike. It would feel wrong to call this man her brother’s name. “No, that’s okay. I’ve got it.”

“You don’t think I can really do it?”

“Uh, well, I tell you what this bike here only needs the front wheel replaced.” She indicated the bike next to the one she was working on. “Do you think you can handle that?”

He flashed her another charming smile. “With my eyes closed.”

She chuckled a little. “Please don’t.”

He laughed as he knelt down and began to work. For a while they were both silent, until finally he spoke up. “So, you run this place all by yourself?”

“Well, not exactly. Everyone pitches in when I need help. And Raph is usually up here most nights helping me finish up.”

“He’s your mate?”

Cat glanced at him. “Yes, he’s my husband.”

“Marina was telling us that humans don’t mate like we do. Is it true you don’t bond with your intended?”

Cat blushed. “Uh, no. We choose who we want to be with.”

He looked at her curiously. “So, humans can have multiple partners?”

“Well, I guess. But most of us don’t. We choose to be monogamous.” She reached for the electric drill that lay between them. His hand landed on top of hers and she looked up into dark brown eyes rimmed in gold. The elevator door opened and she jerked her hand back.

“Hey, what’s goin’ on?”


	4. Suspicions and Theories

Raph watched Cat scoot a little further away from the young man who’d came with Marina. He could tell right away something was wrong. She glanced over her shoulder at him. “I’m almost done.” She got up and went into the store room to retrieve a part.

He stopped her on her way out. “What’s wrong?” Raph watched her eyes dart to Dandrick and he growled. “Did he-“

“No, we were just talking that’s all.”

Raph accepted her answer. Cat wasn’t in the habit of lying to him. He watched as she knelt back beside the bike. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something odd had just happened. “Why don’t you go on to bed, darlin’. I’ll finish it up.”

She looked up at him. “Really?”

He smirked. “Yeah, you did make dinner after all.”

She smiled as she went to him and placed a kiss on his cheek. “In that case, I should make dinner every night.”

He chuckled as he gave her a hug. “Uh, no that’s okay. You work hard enough.” He pressed a kiss to her brow. “Now, go on to bed. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Raph waited for the elevator door to close before he knelt down to finish what Cat had been doing. He watched the visitor out the corner of his eye while he completed the bike. Dandrick never looked up as he completed replacing the wheel. At last the young man spoke. “Is it true humans cannot sense their mates as Mazar do?”

Raph shot him a look. “No, they can’t.”

“Oh, I see.” Dandrick stood and wiped his hands on a rag. He’d completed the wheel instillation.

As he turned to head back to the elevator, Raph spoke up. “Listen, bub, I don’t know what you and Cat were talking about. But let me give you a little piece of advice.” He stood his back still to the man. He clenched the wrench tightly in his fist. “Stay away from her, if you know what’s good for you.”

Dandrick glanced over his shoulder with a grin. “It was only scientific curiosity.”

As the elevator doors closed, Raph growled. “I’ll be watching you, you squirrely little bastard.”

Downstairs, Donnie tucked Mira into her bed. She looked at the wall that separated her bedroom from her parents. “Is Mommy okay?”

He sighed. “Yes, she’ll be okay. She’s just mad.”

“At Uncle Leo?”

He shook his head. “No, not at anyone in particular.”

“So, what is she mad about?”

“It’s complicated, sweetie.” He rubbed her head. “Don’t worry.  I’m sure everything is going to work out.”

She glanced at the wall again, her mother’s emotions filtering into her. “She’s sad too.”

He frowned. “Yes, she is.”

“Tell her I love her. That always makes her feel better.”

Donnie smiled. “Yes, it does. I’ll tell her. You go to sleep.” He walked to the door and flipped off the lights.

“And Daddy,” he turned back. She smiled. “I love you too.”

He returned the smile. “I love you too, Mira. Goodnight.”

She said a soft goodnight as he closed the door. At that moment Raph came down the hall with a scowl set in place. “Raph, is something wrong?”

His brother glanced at his door. “Lab.” He said shortly and turned around.

Donnie followed him in and Raph shut the door. “What’s up?”

Raph growled. “I think that creepy punk Dandrick just tried to put the moves on Cat.”

Donnie blinked at him in surprise. “What?”

He folded his arms. “You heard me. I caught him upstairs with her just now.”

“What was he doing?”

“Fixin’ a bike.”

“Did he say anything strange?”

“Uh, well, not really.”

Donnie sighed, rubbing his eyes. His mind was rather preoccupied at the moment with his distraught mate, so dealing with Raph’s possessive streak was the last thing he wanted to be doing. “It doesn’t sound like he was doing anything then.”

Raph snorted. “He was. I know it.”

“Even if he was, Cat can handle herself.” Donnie moved to the door. “Don’t worry so much, Raph. She’ll send him packing if he does anything she doesn’t like.”

As Donnie left, Raph frowned. That was exactly what he was worried about. What if Cat liked the attention the guy was giving her? He headed for his room. When he crawled into bed, Cat rolled towards him snuggling deep into his chest. She sighed contentedly and he relaxed a bit. Maybe, he was just being paranoid.

Across the lair, Amaya curled into Leo’s side. He gently stroked away the beads of perspiration on her bare back. “Leonardo, that young man…”

“Dandrick?” He provided.

“Yes, he disturbs me.”

He opened his eyes to look down at her. “What do you mean?

“I do not know what it is exactly. His soul seems unsettled somehow.”

He frowned as he stroked a hand through her dark hair. “Do you think he’s trouble?”

She shifted so she could meet his eyes. “I am not certain. His soul seems injured.” She sighed. “If I was still at the shrine and he was a villager, I would attempt to heal the injury. But…”

“But you’re not sure you can in this situation.” She nodded sadly. Leo smiled. “Your heart is so kind, my Amaya. But you have to realize that you can’t heal everyone that crosses your path. Let’s just keep an eye on him. If he is corrupt in some way, he’s sure to show his real self sooner or later.” He slipped his other arm around her as he pulled the covers up to shield them from the cool room.

The next morning, Sarah rose mush as she normally did. She yawned as she left the warmth of their bedroom. She and Donnie had stayed up well into the night talking. Other than the fact that he’d gotten her to calm down, they hadn’t come to any great revelation. They were both still baffled as what their next step should be. It was new territory for everyone.

Sarah stopped cold as she stepped into the living room, across from her Splinter’s door was ajar. She glanced at the couch, but it was empty. She quickly moved to the shoji screen and pushed it the rest of the way open.

Dandrick was standing in the center of the room looking at something. “Excuse me?” He turned towards her and she gasped. In his hand was the little silver box with _Father_ engraved on its lid. “What are you doing?” She took the few short steps towards him quickly, snatching the box from him.

He frowned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s lovely. What is it exactly?”

She clutched it to her chest, tears welling in her eyes. “It’s Father. It’s Master Splinter’s ashes.”

He flinched. “Your father, but I thought your father is Lord Zenfered?”

She held the box a little tighter as she stepped around him, to place it back on the low table near the photograph of Splinter holding a baby Mira. “That man is no father to me. “

Dandrick frowned as she turned to face him. “I see.”

A cry suddenly broke through the silence of the lair. Kaz was awake. Sarah gestured to the door and Dandrick complied. “It’s been just over a year since his death. It’s still pretty fresh for us all. So, please don’t disturb his room.”

He lowered his eyes. “Again, I’m sorry. I was looking for the bathroom.”

Sarah nodded. “It’s down the hall.”

Dandrick headed down the hall as Mikey stepped from his room holding the now squalling baby turtle. He glanced at the Mazar as he passed. Then his eyes fixed on Sarah. She couldn’t help but grin at his expression. Mikey pouted. “It’s not funny.” He whined, making Sarah laugh.

She led the way into the kitchen. “It sounds like he’s just hungry, Mikey.” She pulled out the large jar of formula she and Donnie had made. It contained the same protein vegetable mixture they’d made Mira when she first hatched.

Mikey yawned as he sat down heavily in a chair. “How can you tell?”

She smiled as she filled a bowl with the baby’s meal. “Oh, just call it experience. Now that he’s finally over his bought of, uh, colic – at least that’s what they call it in human babies – you’ll start to catch on. There’s a I’m-hungry-cry, I’m-dirty-cry, I’m-in-pain-cry and a lovely I’m-mad-at-the-world-cry.”

He chuckled. “I think I already know the I’m-mad-at-the-world-cry.”

She laughed as she set the bowl in front of him. “Yep, he has that one down pat by now.”

Mikey fed Kaz while Sarah prepared breakfast. Slowly everyone began to trickle in. The first to arrive as usual were Leo and Amaya, then Kala. Raph, Cat, Donnie and Mira were the last to appear. By the time their guests showed up the table was stacked with its normal large spread.

“I have been wondering, how is it possible for a Mazar and one of your apparent unique species to have a child?” Stin asked Donnie.

Donnie measured the man’s intelligence for a moment before answering. “I used a manner of in-vitro fertilization using an unfertilized turtle egg in order to combine our DNA using comparative genomic hybridization.”

Stin raised an eyebrow. “Fascinating, I should like to see the research on your genomic hybridization and how you dealt with the chromosomal abnormalities.”

Donnie grinned, obviously pleased at finding a mind as sharp as his. “I’d be glad to share the information with you, but we need to deal with the issue at hand first. Marina may I see the book you brought?” She handed the book across the table and he frowned at the foreign text. “Hmm, I think my Mazar is a little too rusty to read this. Do you suppose you could read the entire story to us? It might give us some clues.”

Marina opened the book to the section and began to read. The tale was about two neighboring households that were feuding over a section of land. Each family had born a child in the same year, one a female and the other a male. The two children happened to meet while during their pre-adultescence. It gave a recount of how the children found joy in playing together over a matter of only a few days. Then their parents became aware of their secret playtimes and separated them.

Many years later while in their village the two happened upon one another again. And although their outward appearance had changed, they knew each other instantly. They began to see each other in secret once again. One day when they were deep in the forest near their home, the young man found a flower he wanted to pick for his love. When he plucked the flower, he pricked his finger on a thorn.  They were both surprised to see her finger bleed as well as his.

Marina stopped here and looked up at the couple across the table. “That sounds familiar, doesn’t it?”

Sarah giggled. “Yes, except it wasn’t a flower it was circuit board.”

Donnie smiled as he wrapped an arm around her. “Hey, do you want a flower that’ll last a few days or a computer that can handle the same amount of data as NASA’s?”

“Maybe both.” Sarah teased. The others laughed and Marina went back to the story.

It wasn’t long before the young couple’s parents learned of their clandestine encounters in the woods and tried to put a stop to it. There was a scrimmage between their houses in which the young man was shot in the chest. The girl had pushed him aside as another shot was fired and received a wound in her shoulder as well. The couple was able to make it away from the fighting. But both were badly injured as they shared their wounds. The young man blacked out and when he woke he found his love slumped over him, her chest bearing the wound he’d had as well as her own. His own chest bore no sign of the injury any longer. Distraught over the loss of his bond-mate he took his dagger and plunged it into his heart. Their families had found them later and upon seeing the price their feuding had cost them, they settled their differences and buried the couple together as is tradition on the Mazar home world of Mazaryn.

Marina frowned. “It looks like this couple barely had a year together, but you two have been together a lot longer.”

Sarah nodded. “Yes, that’s true we’ve only been married eight years but we’ve been together for nearly ten.”

Donnie rubbed his chin. “Wait, you said the woman had the wounds but the man didn’t?”

Marina nodded and Stin frowned. “That would indicate a complete transference of the wound, not just mirroring.”

Mikey looked up from Kaz. “So, the guy lived and the girl didn’t? How is that possible? I thought if you guys bond then if one dies so does the other one.”

Raph blinked. “Yeah, but like Sarah said. If one lives the other lives too. So, wouldn’t that also mean if the guy was alive so was the girl.”

“Hmm, that is a very interesting theory. It is entirely possible that she could have been saved, if he lived.” Stin sipped his tea.

Donnie shook his head sadly. “Yeah, but he gave up and killed himself, then there was no way to bring her back from the brink.” He squeezed Sarah’s hand remembering the times they had faced that very situation themselves. When they too had stood on death’s doorstep, only to draw strength from one another and overcome the darkness in the end. It saddened him to think the man in the story would have given up so easily.

 Stin turned to Dandrick. “Would you return to the ship and get the med kit and my notes of molecular regeneration?”

“Yes, sir.” Dandrick turned to Cat. “May I borrow one of your cycles to make the trip?”

Cat reflexively scooted back into Raph a bit. She plastered on a fake smile. “Uh, sure.”

Raph pulled his keys out and tossed them to the young man. “There better not be a scratch on it when you get back.”

Dandrick flashed his brilliant smile. “I promise to return it just as it is.”

After he left the others scattered about the lair. The guys went off to do their morning training session, while Kala put Kaz down for a nap. Sarah sat Mira at the kitchen table to do her schoolwork while she, Marina and Amaya cleaned up. Stin was content to watch Mira work over her shoulder. And Cat headed upstairs to open the shop.

&*&*&*&*&*&

Cat shook the older man’s hand. “Thanks Tim, you let me know if you have any trouble.”

The man with the gray beard and tattoo of an eagle on his shoulder grinned. “I should be thanking you. You fixed my girl up so fine, she’s purring like a kitten now.”

Cat smiled. “Next time don’t take her to some sketchy wrench monkey on the west side. Okay?”

He laughed as he mounted his bike. “You know it, kid. See ya.”

As he pulled out, Raph’s red bike pulled into the main yard. Cat frowned as Dandrick took off the helmet. “You need to pull around back, the front is for customers.”

He nodded. “Sure.” He turned the bike back on and disappeared. A few minutes later he came through the back door with a metal box. He set it on a work bench and stepped around the corner to the little office.

Cat growled and slapped the side of the computer monitor. “Stupid machine.”

“What’s the problem?” He asked as he walked in a few paces.

She shot him a look. “Donnie updated this thing a few weeks ago and I swear it takes a rocket scientist to work this new inventory system of his.”

“What are you trying to do exactly?”

“I just need to put in the carburetor I just sold.” She glared at the computer. “But this stupid thing keeps telling me I’m making an error.”

He smiled. “Mind if I give it a try?” She glanced at him a little wary but decided it was worth a shot. She slipped out of the chair and he took her place. He hit a few keys. “Oh, this is actually pretty simple.” He pointed to the screen and clicked on a button. “He set it up so all you have to do is type in the serial number of the one you’ve used and then say it’s either coming in or going out.” He showed her with a couple key strokes.

Cat watched over his shoulder and shook her head. “That is fairly simple. Thanks Dandrick.”

He stood and smiled his flashy smile. “No problem. And it’s Danny.”

She shook her head. “No, Danny was my brother’s name. It’d feel too weird calling you that.”

“Your brother? I haven’t met him. Is he around?” He looked out through the office door.

Cat looked away. “No, he was killed several years ago.” His hand landed on her shoulder and she looked up at him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know. This planet must be a whole lot harsher than the way Marina and Stin described it.”

She blinked and took a step back out of his hand. “It’s alright, it has been a long time now. In any case, I should get back to work. I’ve still got one more bike to fix up before the owner gets here.”

She turned to leave and he caught her wrist. “Do you need any help?”

For a lingering moment she allowed the touch before firmly pulling her hand away. She gave him a false smile. “Uh, nope. I’ve got it covered. Besides, shouldn’t you be taking Stin his things? But, uh, thanks for all the help.”

He nodded. “Sure.” He stepped past her and picked up the box. As he stepped into the elevator he smiled to himself. Things were coming along nicely.


	5. Breaking Boundaries

Leo strolled into his room, wiping the sweat from his brow with a small towel. Amaya was knelt inside with her prayer beads clasped in her hands. She looked up and offered him a warm smile. “How was your session?”

He returned the smile. “Good.” She stood and took the towel from him. She wiped away the beads of perspiration on his neck and shoulders. He watched her stormy blue-gray eyes as they took on the task with concentration. He brushed a hand through her hair. “I need to go run an errand today.”

She lifted her eyes to meet his but continued her slow methodical process of cleaning him. “Would you like me to come with you?”

He shook his head, his smile never wavering. “No, it won’t take long.” He ran his thumb across her silky lips, before he kissed them. Amaya sighed softly her body tingling as she melted into him, his arms coming up to pull her closer. The towel was forgotten as it fell silently to the floor.

Raph crossed the living room just as Dandrick came off the elevator. He frowned at the young man. “Where’s my keys?”

Dandrick produced them from his pocket. “Thanks for the loan. She’s a pretty little thing.”

Raph snatched them with a frown. “You better be talkin’ about my bike, bub.” He trudged past him to the bathroom to get cleaned up.

On the couch sat Kala, Sarah and Marina flipping through Mira’s scrap book. While Mira colored in a book at the coffee table. Dandrick stepped up to them. “Where is Stin?”

“He’s in the lab with Donnie.” Marina pointed to the open doorway down the hall. He nodded and carried the metal box inside.

Further down the hall a little wail began, increasing in persistency and magnitude. Kala glanced over her shoulder as Mikey came out of their bedroom. He frowned, his son propped on one shoulder. “Is this another I’m-hungry-cry?” He asked.

Kala got up and came around the couch. “It can’t be. He ate less than an hour ago.”

Sarah handed the scrap book to Marina. “I’ll get some of his medicine.”

Mira hopped up. “Can I help, Mommy?”

Sarah smiled. “Sure.” They headed into the kitchen and she put the teapot on to boil. She got out the herbs. “Can you get me a spoon, sweetie?” She took down a mug and stepped to the table to mix them turning her back to the stove.

Mira handed her the spoon and then watched as she mixed the herbs together in the mug. The teapot began to whistle behind them. The young turtle left her mother to retrieve the teapot. But she was still too small to reach the pot properly. She tried to grab it by the spout that was sticking out.

Sarah turned just in time to see this. “Mira, no!” She shot forward as the youngster bumped the spout and it began to fall. She shoved Mira aside and tried to grab the pot, but it tipped too far and the lid came off. Sarah’s cry of pain echoed off the lair’s walls.

Donnie dropped what he was holding as blisters began popping up on his hands. He ran through the living room and into the kitchen. His heart stopped at the sight before him. Mikey had gotten there a few seconds earlier and was holding Mira, who looked wide-eyed at her mother. Sarah was kneeling on the floor, her hands scalded from the over turned teapot. Marina was at her side trying to get her to stand. He rushed to her side. “Sarah?”

She looked up at her mate with teary eyes. “I’m sorry.”

He grasped her wrists ignoring the slight pain it caused him and turned her hands over to see the damaged reddened flesh. He could feel her pain pulsing through the bond and he knew it hurt badly. All he wanted in that moment was to take that pain away from her. “Come on, we need to put them under cold water.” But as they stood together to move towards the sink they both froze as Sarah’s hands began to clear before their very eyes. Donnie ground his teeth and released her wrists as the wounds from her hands appeared on his.

“What the…?” Raph breathed behind them. He, Leo, and Amaya had gotten there a few moments after Donnie.

“Incredible.” Stin mused. “Complete transference.”

Sarah blinked for a second and then grabbed Donnie’s wrists much as he’d done hers and put his hands under the faucet. He hissed in pain as the cool liquid hit his seared flesh. Sarah stared up at him, tears still pooled in the corners of her eyes. “How did you do that?”

He shook his head in dismay. “I don’t know.”

Leo frowned. He didn’t think this was such a good thing. If a wound could be completely transferred between the couple, then that would put Sarah at more risk. His brother, as well as the rest of them, had experienced enough injuries over their lifetime that their bodies had become somewhat accustomed to them. But if Sarah were to possess those types of injuries, her body may not be able to handle them as well.

“I think this would be a perfect opportunity to draw some blood samples so that we may be able to determine the extent to which the wounds have transposed.” Stin suggested.

Donnie glanced over his shoulder, but didn’t answer. Mira began to cry in Mikey’s arms. “I’m sorry, Mommy!”

Sarah frowned. She could feel her daughter’s deep regret and heartache at the knowledge she’d just caused her mother and father harm. She took her gently in her arms. “It’s alright, Mira. But you must be more careful. You know better than to grab things from the stove.”

“I wanted to help.” The young turtle wept.

Donnie frowned as well. “But you could have hurt yourself, Mira. And you did hurt your mother.”

“I’m sorry.” The little turtle cried again, burying her face in her mother’s hair.

“I will get some towels to clean the floor.” Amaya left to retrieve them.

“I don’t mean to be pushy, but if we desire to get any conclusive results from the blood tests. Timing may be crucial.” Stin pointed out.

Sarah handed Mira back to Mikey. “Not until the burns have been taken care of.” She crossed the room to pull an ice pack from the freezer. She wrapped it in a kitchen towel. Donnie pulled his scalded hands from beneath the faucet to press the pack between them. Sarah frowned up at him. There was a silent exchange of emotions – guilt, gratitude, acceptance and love as well as a lingering fear.

“Alright, let’s go.” Donnie turned and led the way back to the lab with Sarah at his elbow. Stin and Dandrick followed. Once inside Sarah crossed the room to the get the first aid kit, while Stin prepared two syringes.

“I must say, I have never seen such a thing in all my research as a microbiologist.” Stin pulled out two glass slides. Dandrick was busy setting up what looked like a microscope of some kind. It was a box with a screen on top and several slots for slides.

Donnie settled into a chair. Sarah sat across from him and began to apply ointment to his hands. “We asked you here for your help, not to be your science experiment.” She said roughly as she cradled her husband’s injured hands in hers.

“I did not mean to sound callus. I am simply stating facts. Now, if you please, I’ll draw some blood.” He approached them with one of the syringes. Donnie nodded and Stin inserted the needle into his forearm. Sarah pressed a hand over the spot on her own arm as a small mark appeared. As soon as the needle was removed the wound on her arm disappeared with Donnie’s.

“It looks like how fast the wound heals depending on how severe it is.” Dandrick commented.

Donnie nodded. “Yes, I’ve noticed that too. The cut I received a few days ago disappeared within a few minutes and the needle mark just now within seconds.” He looked down at his hands. “Even these wounds seemed to be healing quickly. They don’t seem to be hurting as much.”

“Yes, and some of the blisters are already gone.” Sarah agreed. She began to wrap his hands in bandages. “But there’s no reason to take any chances.”

Stin picked up the other syringe. He gave Donnie a glance before taking Sarah’s arm in his hand and drawing a vile of her blood. The turtle watched intently, his hand going up to cover the small pinprick of blood on his own arm. And just as before, once the needle was removed, both wounds disappeared.

Stin took the samples and put them in the machine they’d set up. Sarah’s hands covered Donnie’s as he held the ice pack between them again. He could sense her guilt. “It’s okay.”

She shook her head, her eyes fixed on his hands. “I should’ve been paying better attention. If Mira had gotten hurt, I’d never have forgiven myself.”

“But she didn’t. Accidents happen, my love, no matter how aware we are.” He said softly.

She stroked the back of his hands gently. “But what about this?”

“This?” He smiled and she looked up at him. “This I can handle. What I can’t handle is you or Mira being hurt.”

“These results are fascinating. It appears that your bodies are reacting to each other. When one is injured the other’s body’s reacts as if it has been injured as well. This in turn sends a signal to produce white blood cells in both of you.” Stin explained.

“We already know that.” Leo stepped into the room with Amaya and Marina.

Stin rubbed his chin. “Yes, but what I don’t understand is how he was able to pull the wound completely into himself. The mirroring is simple, more than likely triggered by the sensation of pain from one’s mate.”

Dandrick leaned over the screen. “Well, her white blood cell count is twice as much as his.”

“So, you must have sent a signal to her body telling it to heal while your body absorbed the damage.” Stin settled into a chair. “But how was it done?”

“They were touching at the time.” Marina pointed out.

“Direct contact? That could certainly be a factor in the transfer.” Stin mused.

“Perhaps you are looking in the wrong place for the answer.” Amaya stepped a little closer to the couple. “Your souls exchanged something in that moment. What exactly were you thinking, Donatello?”

Donnie met Sarah’s eyes. “I just wanted to take away your pain. I would have done anything to take it away.”

“Intriguing, it appears this indeed is a transitional phase then. It occurs only when there is psychological desire to help the one that is injured. Only then can a complete transference happen, not just mirroring of the wound.” Stin explained. “Also when it is transposed to the other’s body it seems to speed the healing process as it does with the mirroring, but not as quickly as when you share the wound.”

“So, is this a good thing?” Leo asked.

Stin shook his head. “I would say that depends on a lot of factors; the severity of the wound being primary. It could also be dangerous. I can easily see how the young couple in the fairytale were overtaken by this ability.”

Marina frowned. “So, that means you’ll have to be careful from now on. You can’t follow your instincts to pull the other’s pain into you. If you do and the wound is really bad, you could die.”

Sarah shook her head. “Death is never a certainty. We’ve learned that from experience.” She touched Donnie’s cheek, her eyes meeting his. “If one lives, so does the other.”

“Yes.” He covered her hand with his, before turning his gaze to his eldest brother. “Think of it more as a safety net, Leo. If we share the wound it heals faster.”

“And perhaps over time you may be able to learn to control it.” Stin remarked. “Though, I think that may take some practice.”

Donnie shook his head with a frown. “That is something I’d really prefer not to practice.”

Leo frowned. He felt slightly better about the situation. If anyone could learn to control their emotions to avert hurting one another it was Sarah and Donnie. He sighed. “Are you sure you can both do this?” He met Donnie’s eyes. “You know what’s happened in the past when she’s been hurt?” Had this occurred a year earlier he might not have understood his brother’s deep desire to protect his wife. But now as he looked on Amaya, he could feel that same protectiveness burning inside him.

Donnie gave a slow nod. “All I can do is try. But,” he turned his gaze back to his wife, “I can’t promise I won’t do everything in my power to protect you.”

“And what about you, Sarah? Are you sure?”

She gave Leo the same slow nod. “Yes, as long as I don’t feel his life is in danger I can.”

Leo dragged a hand down his face and let out a heavy sigh. “Okay, then you can go on patrols, Don. But just be careful. I don’t need to be worried about both of you.”

Sarah smiled. “Thanks, Leo.” Donnie smiled as well, giving her hand a little squeeze. He could feel her relief wash over them, chasing away the remaining fear and doubt.

“Just don’t make me regret it, bro.” Leo said.

Donnie nodded, meeting his steady gaze. “I won’t.” He knew his brother was still taking a risk. They had no idea how well they could control this new ability. But the reality was injuries were rare right now as most of their worst enemies had been defeated and with the Shredder gone for good the threats against them were far less. Most of their encounters were with purple dragons and they weren’t much of a danger.

Leo turned and headed out to the living room. Amaya helped him on with his trench coat. They were alone, so he lifted her chin and kissed her deeply. “I’m sorry we were interrupted.”

She smiled. “We have our entire lives, saiai. A few hours more will not hurt.”

He ran his hand down her side to the curve of her hip. He smirked, pulling her flush against him. “Maybe not you.” She blushed and he kissed her brow. “I’ll be back in an hour or two.” He released her and stepped into the elevator. When the doors opened, he saw Cat jump and turn to look at him. Her shoulders sagged with relief. He glanced around to be sure there were no customers then frowned at her. “Something wrong?”

She looked away, pushing an errant blonde strand behind her ear. “No, not exactly.”

Leo’s frown deepened. He’d known Cat long enough to know when something was bothering her. “Are you and Raph fighting again?”

She looked up. “No.”

“Then what is it?”

She sighed. “He just makes me uncomfortable.”

He blinked. “Raph?”

She snorted. “No. Dandrick.”

Leo folded his arms and glanced towards the elevator. Amaya’s warning echoed in his ears. “What do you mean?”

Cat frowned. “I don’t know exactly. He’s actually confusing the crap out of me. One minute he’s being polite and helpful, and then the next he’s….”

“He’s what?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know how to explain it exactly. It’s like he’s…trying to hit on me.”

Leo’s eyes narrowed. “We’d better tell Raph.”

Cat caught his arm as he started to leave. “No, I don’t know if that’s really what he’s trying to do or not. And you know how Raph is, he’ll just overreact.”

Leo didn’t like leaving his brother out of this. But Cat had a point if she wasn’t certain and they accused Dandrick of misdeeds then it could cause problems between them and Marina and Stin. But still if it were him instead, he’d want to know even if there was just a suspicion. He glanced at the elevator again. “I don’t know, Cat.”

“Please, Leo. I’ll tell him if it gets worse. You know I will.” Her emerald eyes pleaded with him and he at last nodded.

“Okay, but you promise, if he does anything else…”

“I’ll tell him right away. I swear.”

He sighed. “Alright. By the way, did you get what I asked for?”

Her mood lightened, a bright smile crossing her face. “I sure did. It’s in the van.” She turned and pulled an envelope from a drawer. “And here’s the other part.”

He grinned as he took it. “Thanks Cat. I owe you one.”

She laughed as she turned back to the bike she was working on. “Don’t worry, you’ll work it off for me.”

He laughed too as he went out the back door. “I’m sure I will.”


	6. Dirty Deeds

Kala pressed a hand to her mouth to cover the giggle. She hadn’t been gone that long. Had she? She’d only slipped away for a shower, which had been a rare treat in the last few weeks. And when she’d returned she’d found her hunky turtle sprawled across the couch asleep. One hand dangled a remote, while the other was wrapped protectively around Kaz. The small turtle was just beginning to squirm and open his eyes. Apparently both her boys had taken a nice nap.

She suppressed another giggle as she carefully removed the infant from his father’s arms. Mikey shifted but remained asleep, so she carried their now waking son into the kitchen. Raph was at the table with a soda and a magazine.

He looked up as she entered. “Is sleeping beauty still snorin’ his head off?”

Kala laughed. “Yep. Here, hold him while I get him something to eat.” She set Kaz in his lap.

The large turtle and baby exchanged a look. Kaz cooed and Raph smiled. “You know, you’re kind of cute when you ain’t screamin’ your head off.” He hadn’t spent much time with his new nephew as the babe hadn’t done much more than cry since he’d hatched. He tickled his chin and the infant gave a cheerful peep.

Kala smiled. “I think he likes you.”

Raph smirked. “Of course he does.” Kaz chose that moment to try to bite the finger that was tickling him. “Hey, now, that ain’t your dinner. Now I know you’re related to Mikey. You’re always hungry.”

Kala laughed as she settled at the table with them. “You got that right.”

Raph held Kaz while she fed him. He glanced towards the door. “Where’s Donnie?”

“Still in the lab with Stin and Dandrick.” She scooped some food from the little turtle’s chin.

Raph frowned. “I don’t like that Dandrick so much.”

Kala frowned as well. “Sarah said she caught him snooping around Splinter’s room this morning.”

Raph narrowed his eyes. “I knew there was somethin’ off about that guy. What was he doin’ in there?”

She shrugged. “He told Sarah he was looking for the bathroom. But she caught him holding the box with Splinter’s ashes.”

Raph growled. “I knew it!” Kaz blinked up at him and squirmed a bit. Raph’s arm instinctively tightened around him, keeping him securely in his lap. His expression softened as he looked down at the slightly startled infant. “Sorry, little man.” Kaz waved his arms, his mouth covered in the mushy formula. Raph couldn’t help but smile at the child’s new found enthusiasm for life.

Suddenly Kaz’s little face scrunched with an expression of concentration. Raph blinked and then frowned as a horrible smell hit his nose. Kala laughed at his expression. Just then Mikey stepped into the doorway. He yawned and stretched. “Hey, guys. What’s up?”

“Great timing Mike, here you go.” Raph smirked as he stood and handed the small boy with his newly soiled diaper over to his father. He grinned as he left the room and Mikey gagged behind him.

Glancing at the clock, Raph hit the button for the elevator. ‘ _Cat should be closing up_.’ A few moments later he stepped around the corner of the hall to see Cat leaning against a work bench watching the sun set through the large garage door. The sun caused her blonde hair to glow around her. His breath caught as she turned to look at him, her bright green eyes shining in the orange light. She smiled at him, making his heart race. And not for the first time, he wondered what he’d done to deserve such a beauty. Her smile widened as she hit the button to close the large door. “Hey, handsome, come to help me clean up?”

He grinned as he pulled her to him. “Maybe, but first…” He kissed her, digging his large fingers into her hair. He cupped her backside, pulling her hips tighter to him and receiving a satisfying moan from his wife.

She slipped her arms around his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss. She could feel the anxiety that had built up during the day melt away in his powerful arms. She sighed softly when he released her lips and she tucked her head beneath his chin. “Mm, I missed you today.”

He frowned a little. “I did too. Did you have a good day?”

He felt her nod against him. “Yeah, except Donnie’s new software is still giving me headaches.”

He chuckled running a hand through her short hair. “You want me to have him put the old one back on there?”

“Nah, Dandrick helped me with it this afternoon. I think I’ve got it now.”

Raph growled his grip tightening on her. “I told him to stay away from you.”

She stepped back to look at him. “What? Why?”

He growled again. “I don’t like him. Stay away from him, Cat.”

She frowned. “Just because you don’t like him, doesn’t mean I should be rude to him.”

He gripped her shoulders. “Cat, just do what I say for once. There’s somethin’ that ain’t right about that guy.”

Her frown intensified. “But he hasn’t done anything wrong. All he’s done is help out.”

“I don’t trust him. Look just…” He cupped her face with a sigh. “Please, darlin’, just stay away from him.”

She could see the deep concern in his dark eyes. She sighed as well, slipping back into his arms. “Alright, I’ll try.”

He kissed her hair, squeezing her tightly. “Good enough.”

The back door clicked as it was unlocked. Leo pushed the door open and stepped inside, pulling off his hat. Cat turned to him with a grin. “What’d you get?”

Leo laughed as he approached them. “No way. I’m not telling you. I know how you girls talk.”

Raph snickered when Cat pouted. “Oh, come on! I’m just dying to know.” She pleaded.

Leo laughed again. “Not a chance.” He turned and headed for the elevator, but paused. “Raph, we should probably do a patrol tonight. I saw a bunch of purple dragons hanging around down the street near that electronics store. I think they may be up to something.” Raph nodded and Leo left.

When the doors closed and they were alone again, Cat turned back to Raph. “What do you think he got her?”

He laughed. “Knowin’ Leo, there’s no tellin’.” He pulled her back to him. “And right now, I really don’t care.” He leaned forward to kiss her again and she put a finger to his lips.

“After we clean up, tough guy.” Cat giggled when he pouted.

Leo stepped out of the elevator and then jumped aside as Mira went flying past him on a pair of roller-skates. She skidded to a stop at the end of the hall. “Sorry, Uncle Leo.”

He smiled slightly, noticing her good control of the new footwear. “Be careful, Mira.” He’d actually gotten the skates for her to help practice her balance. It had been one of the first things Splinter had them use when they were first training before going to something more difficult. He was still being amazed daily at how quickly she was picking up the new skills he showed her. She was rather small though, so he was taking his time with her. He wondered momentarily if her small stature was because she was female or the trait was one of Sarah’s.

“I will.” She promised and slipped into her bedroom.

He shook his head with a smile and began to remove his trench coat. Amaya stepped from the kitchen, where a good deal of chatter was coming from. She smiled as he gave her a warm hug. “I hope your errand went well.”

He grinned as he turned them towards the kitchen. “Very.”

Inside, everyone was gathered around the large table. Donnie and Stin were discussing genetics, while Mikey and Dandrick were in a heated conversation about whose world had the best video games. Sarah was beginning supper and Kala was cradling Kaz. The youngest turtle was watching his father with interest as he argued about why Earth’s games were the best with Dandrick.

Mikey looked up. “Hey, Leo, where have you been?”

Leo just shook his head. “Out.”

Sarah glanced over her shoulder with a knowing smile. “Well, have a seat, everything is just about ready.”

Leo slipped into a chair along the long rectangular table. Marina looked up from the scrapbook that she’d recovered from its abandoned place on the coffee table. “I wish I could have seen Mira when she was as small as Kaz.”

Donnie smiled. “She was a handful but in a whole different way.”

“Yeah, she definitely didn’t scream as much.” Raph said as he and Cat entered.

“Yeah, but she was into everything, remember?” Mikey pointed out.

Leo laughed. “He will be too, soon enough.”

About that moment Mira came around the door on her skates. “No skates in the kitchen, Mira.” Sarah said without looking up.

“Okay, Mommy.” The small girl plopped on her bottom and began unhooking the buckles.

Sarah and Amaya began to load the table with trays of food. And soon everyone was eating. Cat looked across the table at Donnie. “What happened to your hands?”

He looked down at the bandages. He’d nearly forgotten about the earlier event. They proceeded to tell Cat what had happened. Leo frowned. “I was thinking we should do a patrol tonight. Do you think you’re up for it, Don?”

Donnie flexed his hands. They didn’t even hurt any more. “Yeah, I think they may be healed already.”

“Let’s see.” Sarah took one of his hands, unwrapping the bandage. Stin watched with anticipation from the turtle’s other side. It was astonishing. The wound that would have normally taken two to three weeks to heal properly was entirely gone within a matter of hours. Sarah unwrapped the other hand and it too showed no sign of its earlier injury. She smiled up at her mate and he returned it, feeling her great joy and relief that the wounds were gone.

Mikey grinned. “That is so cool! I wish I could do that.” He turned to Kala. “Hey, babe, you got any hidden talents like that I should know about?” He smirked. “Never mind, I know all your hidden talents.”

“Mikey!” Kala blushed feverishly and jerked at his mask tails. The others laughed at the couple’s expense.

Sarah took pity on her sister-in-law. “So, you guys are going out?”

“Yeah, I think the purple dragons are up to something.” Leo explained.

Kala lightened up. “Hey, you know what that means?”

“Movie night!” Sarah, Cat and Kala cheered at once.

Amaya frowned a little. She still wasn’t used to Leo going out on patrol. Of the four women she was the most paranoid. Not that the others didn’t worry. It was just they’d become accustomed to it. It had become something of a tradition to stay up late and wait for their guys to come home. None of them could sleep anyways until they knew their loved ones had returned safely.

Raph rolled his eyes. “Geez, I’m glad I won’t be here to have to watch another chick flick.”

Marina chuckled. “I just hope it isn’t the Salamander That Ate Burbank.”

Mikey grinned. “That was a classic, dudette!”

Sarah laughed. “Nope, actually it’s Cat’s turn to pick. So, I doubt it’ll be a chick flick. What do think, Cat?”

Cat thought this over for a moment. “The new Poltergeist.”

“Hey!” Raph protested. “You said you didn’t want to watch that?”

She patted his cheek. “No, I said I didn’t want to watch it with you, because you just make fun of that kind of stuff the whole movie.”

He snorted. “I can’t help it. Those people in those movies are stupid.”

Mira pipped up. “Can I watch it?”

Sarah shook her head. “No. You’re still too young for that kind of stuff.”

“Hey, I used to watch those kinds of movies when I wasn’t much older than her.” Mikey attempted to help out his pouting niece.

Donnie laughed. “Yeah, and look how twisted you turned out.”

“Hey!” Mikey protested.

The others laughed and Leo stood. “In any case, we should be going.”

Kala stood with the now sleeping Kaz and started for their bedroom. Mikey followed, watching as she laid him his crib. He covered him with the blanket. He frowned. “This is the first time we’ll be going on patrol since he was hatched. I kind of feel guilty leaving him here.”

Kala slipped her arms around him. “He’ll be fine. Just come home to us safely.”

“I will, I promise.” He kissed her warmly and held her tightly. He felt a little guilty leaving Kala alone with their son too. He turned and kissed Kaz’s head. “You take care of Mama, while I’m gone.” Kala smiled at the exchange and followed her husband back out into the living room.

Down the hall, Sarah waited in Mira’s door as Donnie told their daughter goodnight and tucked her in. He closed the door softly and Sarah wrapped her arms around him. He stroked a hand through her long dark brown hair and pressed a kiss to her brow. No words were necessary as he felt her love wash over him. He was surprised that he didn’t feel even the slightest worry from her. She trusted him completely and knew he’d do everything he could to come home unharmed.

Raph slipped up behind Cat as she put her plate in the sink. She sighed as he nipped her neck. “You gonna wait up for me?”

She smirked as she tilted her head a little further giving him more access to the area. “Of course, how else are you going to use up all that extra adrenaline?”

His low rumbling chuckled vibrated against her back. “I can’t think of any better way than with you, darlin’.”

Leo squeezed Amaya’s hand. He could tell she still wasn’t used to him leaving on patrol. It wasn’t that she didn’t have faith in his skill or even that she was afraid he might return injured. She had more than enough faith that he and his brothers would come back safe and sound.  She simply didn’t like him being gone most of the night. And the truth was he still wasn’t used to leaving her behind either, but life had to go on. This was their job – to try and keep the city as criminal free as possible, so the normal people could go about their lives with some peace of mind.

He ran his hand gently down her cheek and she closed her eyes with a soft sigh. “We’ll be back.” She nodded firmly, keeping her face a stoic mask. He released her hand and turned to the elevator, where his brothers were already gathered. “Time to hit the streets guys.”

&*&*&*&*&*

Kala clutched the pillow in her arms tightly as the credits started going by.  Beside her Marina nearly mimicked her wide-eyed expression as she clutched Stin’s arm. Her mate just rolled his eyes. He hadn’t thought the movie was in the least scary, but rather brought up some interesting theories. On the second sofa Sarah yawned, while Cat stretched. Between them Amaya just shook her head.

She just didn’t get it. Most of her life she’d spent in rural Japan in a shrine with her eyes unseeing, but over the past year she’d been exposed to a lot of American culture. This desire to try to scare themselves for some reason, though, continued to elude her. She saw no point in it. And despite Cat’s insistence that it was ‘fun’, she just thought it was boring and kind of ridiculous. She much preferred Kala’s taste in movies, which were romantic and sometimes funny.

She glanced at Sarah, who’d actually put a book of puzzles in her lap during the movie. She’d probably done at least ten by the end. It was pretty evident that Sarah wasn’t much of a fan of horror movies either. However, Amaya wasn’t too thrilled with Sarah’s choice in movies either. They were loud action packed, tended to be sci-fi and sometimes had complicated plots. But even those were better than most of the ones Cat picked as they tended to be spy movies or horror flicks. The zombie movie she’d picked out several months ago, had actually given Amaya nightmares.

She shook her head again and glanced at the clock. “They are still not back.”

Sarah gave her a reassuring smile. “They’re fine, trust me. Donnie’s just a little irritated. I’m guessing they haven’t had to engage anyone yet.”

Cat rolled her eyes. “Oh, great. That means Raph will be all kinds of aggravated when they get home.”

Kala finally blinked and turned to the two women having a rather calm conversation after she’d just had the pants scared off her. She cleared her throat. She only wanted one thing at the moment - Mikey. “When do you think they’ll be back?”

Sarah shrugged with a small smile. “Depends on how much shell they give Leo over not finding any trouble out tonight.”

Cat stood. “Well, I think I’ll go try to get some work done. I won’t be able to sleep anyways.”

“Who could sleep after that!” Marina pointed a shaky finger at the TV.

Cat laughed as she stepped around the third couch where Dandrick was spread out and appeared to be sleeping. She made her way to the elevator as a lively discussion about watching another movie started. Upstairs she pulled on her wielding hood and started working on a gift she was making for Raph for his birthday. Her mind wandered to Leo and his gift for Amaya. She smiled to herself. The guys tended to go all out on special occasions and she wondered just what he’d gotten her new sister-in-law. He’d asked her to take out a good sum of money out of their safe, so she guessed it was something nice and something he’d have to buy, which was rather rare to say the least. It was unusual for the guys to actually buy something that wasn’t for the whole family and in particular Leo never did it.

She smiled again as she remembered Raph’s gift from their last anniversary. He’d had Donnie rig up their motorcycle helmets with a two way radio, so that when they went joy riding they could talk. Cat was so enthralled in the memory that when the warm hand landed on her back she nearly dropped the wielding torch.

The only one brave enough to sneak up on her while she was wielding was Raph. ‘ _Maybe I didn’t hear him come in.’_ She turned off the torch and pulled off her helmet to turn with a smile to her husband, only to have the smile wash away in an instant. “Dandrick?” His name had barely left her mouth when it was covered with his.


	7. Shattered

“Well, that was a glorious waste of time.” Mikey leapt from one roof top to the next.

“Give it a rest, Mikey. It’s better to be vigilant and not have to do anything, than to let those punks break into a store.” Leo followed to the next roof.

“Yeah, but we waited around for hours and they didn’t even show.” Donnie easily hopped the gap between the buildings.

Raph snorted. “We even went looking for trouble and couldn’t find any.” He was still itching for a brawl. They’d waited for the dragons for about three hours before making a lap around the lower east side. They’d decided to head home when storm clouds began rolling in above them.

Leo groaned. “Alright, guys I get it.”

Mikey sped up just a little as they came onto their block. “Do you think the girls stayed up?”

Donnie chuckled. “I know Sarah did.”

Raph smirked. “Cat never sleeps till we get back.”

“I’d rather Amaya go to bed, but I know she didn’t.” Leo commented.

They landed on the roof of the garage. It had taken nearly an hour to get home. Leo lifted the trap door on the roof and Raph headed down the ladder into the alcove at the back of the garage, the others following. He stopped cold in his tracks as he came around the corner. He watched Dandrick lean into a very startled looking Cat to kiss her.

Mikey bumped into his brother. “Raph, what are you-“ The three brothers gasped in unison.

Cat had barely enough time to register what was happening when a roar came from the back of the garage. She blinked at the flash of green and red. Raph flung Dandrick across the room into a wall. He snarled viciously as he caught the young man again and slammed a fist into his face. “You slimy little bastard! I told you to stay away from her!” The young Mazar never even stood a chance as Raph hammered him with blow after blow.

Cat blinked, trying to recover from shock. She recovered about the same time as his brothers. Panic over took her. Raph looked so angry she was sure he was going tear the young man’s head right off. “Raph, stop!”

He lifted Dandrick off the ground, pinning him against the wall by his throat. He shot her a furious look. “What! Why are you defending him! Did you want him to do that!”

“No! Of course not!” She screamed. Raph had his gaze fixed on the Mazar again, so he didn’t see the pain that crossed Cat’s face. Her eyes darkened and her jaw dropped. Tears stung her eyes and her chest tightened painfully as a sudden realization hit her. She took a step back, a terrible ache seeping deep into her bones.

Fury blazed in Raph’s eyes as he hit Dandrick again causing the man’s head to snap back and put a hole in the wall. The guys decided it was time to intervene when Raph pulled his sai. Leo and Mikey grabbed him from behind and drug him off the bloodied and battered body of Dandrick.

“That’s enough, Raph!” Leo ordered.

Raph snarled as he fought against them. “Let me go!”

“You’re going to kill him!” Mikey shouted, holding Raph as tight as he could.

Donnie hit the intercom button next to the elevator. “Sarah! You, Marina and Stin better get up here! Now!”

The back door slammed and everyone turned to see that Cat was gone. Outside a bike engine started. “Cat!” Raph pulled away from his brothers to rush out the back door. He made it in time to see her peel out of the parking lot. Her engine roared, rivaling the loud crack of thunder from the sky. “Cat!”

He knew there was no way he could catch her on foot the way she was driving. He dug for his bike keys. “Damn it!” He’d left them in their bedroom that morning. Racing back inside, he dug through the drawer in the office to find the spare set. He paused as he came out long enough to pull Dandrick to his feet by his shirt front. He slammed him against the wall again. “If anything happens to her, you’re dead! You hear me! Dead!” He brushed off Leo’s restraining hand as he headed for the back door. “I’m going to find Cat.” The heavy metal door banged shut behind him.

Mikey glared at the Mazar, who slumped to the floor against the wall. “Man, talk about stupid.”

The elevator door opened and Marina, Stin and Sarah rushed out. “What’s going on?” Marina knelt beside Dandrick.

“That’s exactly what I want to know. What the hell were you thinking!” Leo shouted. He was nearly as irate as Raph. How dare this man come into their home and disrupt their family like this!

Sarah looked up at Donnie questioningly. She could feel his anger towards the man. He folded his arms, a scowl that rivaled Leo’s playing across his face. “He kissed Cat.” He said flatly.

“And Raph saw him.” Mikey added.

Marina gasped and stood up, backing away from him. “What?”

Anger that easily matched the brothers’ flashed in Sarah’s eyes. She balled her fists at her side as Dandrick pulled himself to his feet using the workbench. The loud sound of flesh slapping flesh echoed off the walls of the garage. Dandrick blinked at the small form of Sarah in front of him, her brown eyes piercing him. Automatically his eyes narrowed on his petite assailant.

In a flash, Donnie was between them, his glare even more menacing. He growled. “Don’t even think about it.” Dandrick lowered his eyes and Donnie stepped away, pulling Sarah with him.

Leo frowned, his voice still sharp with anger. “You need to answer my question. What the hell were you doing?”

Dandrick spit a mouth full of blood along with a few teeth on the ground. He didn’t dare lift his eyes to meet Leo’s. “I had to know.”

“And what, pray tell, did you have to know that made you think you had the right to touch another man’s mate?” Stin’s voice was edged with anger as well as disappointment.

Dandrick finally looked up to meet Stin’s stern gaze. “If we were compatible. As you know, my bond-mate died before we were able to fully bond. I thought perhaps, because Cat and I were similar in our interests that she and I might have made a good pair. Perhaps be able to bond.” He looked at Sarah. “Just as you did with an Earthling.”

Mikey growled. “Cat would never do that to Raph! She’d never leave him for someone like you!”

“I know that now.” He jiggled his jaw, which he was fairly certain was broken.

Sarah glared. “You deserve everything you got and more if you ask me!” She was infuriated by this man’s actions. If Raph hadn’t have already beaten the crud out of him, she would have.

Donnie pulled her back into his chest, restraining her in case she decided to strike the troublemaker again. His glare matched hers. “I agree.”

Leo glowered. “You should leave - _now_.”

Stin nodded. “Return to the ship, Dandrick. We will deal with your crimes once we reach Mazaryn.”

Dandrick looked up in surprise. “What? But these people are different. They don’t follow our laws.”

Stin frowned. “Regardless, you violated another’s mate and for that you must face the consequences.” He narrowed his eyes. “If it had been another Mazar, you would be facing death. As it is, you will likely be branded unworthy of mating and will never be allowed to bond again.”

Dandrick’s face paled. He dropped to his knees. “Please, Sir Stin. I’ll do anything to repent for the crime, but do not do this.”

Stin shook his head. “It is not my decision to make. You will have to plead your case to the court.”

Dandrick swallowed hard. “Yes, sir.”

“Now, return to the ship and prepare to depart.” Stin said firmly.

“I think that’s a good idea. I’ll even give you a lift.” Mikey grabbed him by the collar and dragged him through the back door.

“You don’t think he’ll try to take off without you?” Donnie eyed the back door.

Marina frowned. “No, I don’t think he’s stupid enough to run. And even if he did, you’ve still got my old cruiser. We’d catch up to that old science vessel of ours in no time.”

Donnie looked down at Sarah in his arms. She was still trembling a bit with rage. A new fear emerged in his mind. “Will he say anything about Sarah?”

This caused Stin and Marina to exchange a look. Stin frowned. “I believe it would be unwise on his part to do so, he would only be inviting Lord Zenfered’s wrath. I’m certain he has already considered this.”

“And if he hasn’t, we’ll be sure to point it out to him.” Marina set her jaw with determination. “We’ll make sure no one knows she’s still alive.”

“Thanks.” Donnie let out a heavy breath and Sarah squeezed his arm.

She glanced around. “Where are Raph and Cat?”

“Cat took off and Raph went after her.” Leo explained. ‘ _I hope they’re okay.’_

&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Raph’s bike flew down the street. He ignored the pelting sting of rain hitting his bare skin. Instead he increased his sped, despite the fact that his tires were skidding on the wet cement. He was beginning to panic. He’d been searching for Cat for hours. He’d checked the pond, the park, and even that spot along the river where they’d gone for a walk once. But he’d come up empty handed every time. He’d even stopped to try to track her cell, only to discover it had been left behind at the garage. Dawn was approaching and the rain had yet to let up.

He came to a stop at a red light. There was only one place he hadn’t checked. It was somewhere Cat had only taken him once, but he’d etched it into his memory like a sculptor into stone. He frowned as he turned the bike around and headed north until the tall buildings fell away to suburbs. Slowly he came to a stop beside the quiet lot. The stillness here put him on edge, but the sight of Cat’s bike made relief wash over him like a tidal wave. He dismounted and walked quietly through the gravel, grass and mud, until at last he saw her.

Cat stood before the headstone, the cold rain pouring down to mix with hot tears. He approached cautiously, his heart racing. “Cat?” She didn’t respond or turn to face him. “Cat, please talk to me?”

Her head dropped just slightly. Her eyes transfixed on the headstone. “You shouldn’t be here.” She didn’t want to see him right now. She didn’t want to face the truth.

His jaw dropped as pain seared through his chest shaper than any blade. “Cat, please….”

She ran her fingers over the name on the stone- _Daniel O’Conner_. Her voice was low and calm despite the continual tears that streaked her face. “You don’t trust me. After all this time, after everything we’ve been through you still don’t trust me.”

Raph clenched his fists. “No! That’s not it at all! I do-“

“Maybe it was a mistake.” Her voice trembled with the half whispered words. “Maybe…we were a mistake. Maybe I’m the one that shouldn’t be here.”

Raph felt every ounce of strength leave him as he collapsed to his hands and knees. His fingers dug into the muddied earth. As he stared at them, they seemed to go in and out of focus. His heart felt like it had stopped beating. His breath came in short gasps. “No…please…” The emotion in his voice finally made her turn to look at him. “I’ll do anything. _Anything_. Just please don’t say we were a mistake. Please don’t leave. I love you so much.”

She closed her eyes against the broken sight before her; her own heart breaking. “What is love without trust?”

“I do! I do trust you! I trust you with my life!” He choked. The wall inside him that he’d built up with anger and paranoia began to break, revealing the secret it hid. “I was scared!” His arms felt like they were barely holding up his weight as they shook fiercely.

Cat lifted an eyebrow. “Scared?” This was an emotion he had never expressed to her in words, even in their most intimate moments.

He balled his fists in the mud and grass. The wall shattered. “I was scared he was going to take you away from me. Scared, because it would be a fate worse than death to be without you.” He shook his head and Cat could see the tears trickling down his face to drip from his chin. “And I would do anything - give up everything - to make sure that won’t happen. So, please don’t go, don’t give up on us.” He had nothing if he didn’t have her.

She knelt before him and he gasped as her cold hands cupped his face. He lifted his eyes to see tears pouring from hers. “Thank you.” He blinked at her blankly. “Thank you for finally telling me what was in your heart. If I’m going to continue to be with you, you have to let me in. You can’t build up walls against me.”

His eyes widened as he sat back. “You mean you’ll stay with me?”

“Yes, but…”

His heart raced with fear and hope. “But?”

Her watery gaze met his and he could see both the desperation and determination in them. “You have to promise to tell me when you’re afraid. You have to tell me what you’re really feeling. Otherwise, I can’t protect you.”

“Protect me?”

She rested her hand over his heart. “In here, the place that only I can protect you.”

He crushed her against him and she sank into his chest. “I swear it with everything that I am. I’ll trust you with both my life and my heart. And I’ll never take you for granted again.”

She sniffled as she clutched at his plastron. “Good. Don’t make me teach you this lesson again.”

He couldn’t help the small sad smile as the memory of another lesson taught so very long ago trickled through his mind. “Never. I promise you’ll never have to do it again.”

She sneezed and Raph realized she was drenched. The thin t-shirt she’d left in was soaked through and through. It clung to her small firm body, accenting every muscle and curve. Her hair stuck to her face and her skin was ice cold. She trembled a little and he held her a bit tighter, trying to shield her from the still pounding rain. He needed to get her home. He lifted her into his arms and she wrapped hers around his neck. Unwilling to release her, he propped her in front of him on his bike. She held fast to him as he pulled away from the graveyard. He’d send his brothers to retrieve Cat’s bike later.

He drove slowly and cautiously home. As they neared the garage the rain finally let up, allowing the sun to finally peek out from between the clouds. It had risen unseen behind the cloud bank. Raph pulled to a stop in the parking lot. He wrapped his arms tightly around his wife’s trembling form. “I love you, darlin’.”

Her arms tightened around his neck. “I love you too, tough guy.”

He dipped his head to find her lips and kiss them as thoroughly as possible. He never wanted the moment to end. He wanted to keep her right where she was in his arms. There was nowhere more perfect than this; nowhere that he felt more loved, without judgement or fear. She made his life complete and he wanted to remind her of that with the passion of his kiss.

Cat pulled away and sneezed again. He frowned. “Let’s get you inside.” Still unwilling to release her, he lifted her into his arms again. Cat curled into his chest, savoring his warmth and strength. He carried her into the garage and down the elevator.

In the lair Leo, Don and Mikey were having a heated discussion about whether they should go look for Raph and Cat. Luckily they didn’t have to finish it. The brothers turned as the elevator doors opened and they all sagged with relief. The couple was quickly surrounded and bombarded with questions.

“She’s okay.” Raph reassured them. He looked down and she gave him a small smile. “We’re okay.” Sarah pressed through the group with a warm blanket. Raph set Cat on her feet and wrapped it around her, before wrapping his arms around her again.

Marina stepped forward, her gaze full of guilt and regret. “I’m sorry about what happened. If we’d have known he’d do anything like this, we never would have brought him with us.”

Raph put a hand on her shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault, Marina.”

Cat shook her head. “No, it definitely wasn’t.”

Stin stepped up behind Marina. He placed his hands on his mate’s shoulders. “Still we are responsible for bringing this evil into your lives. You have our deepest regrets.”

Cat gripped Raph’s arm with downcast eyes. “What will you do with him?”

“On our world, crimes against the family unit are considered particularly heinous. He will be severely punished, of that I am certain.” Stin explained.

“Speaking of which, we should be leaving.” Marina hugged Raph and Cat. “Again I’m sorry for all the trouble.”

“It’s alright but next time, don’t bring a third wheel with you.” Raph half teased her.

Stin shook Raph’s hand. “It was a pleasure to get to know all of you.” The couple had already said their farewells to the rest of the family and so they left with Don and Sarah, who were going to give them a ride back to their ship.

Raph squeezed Cat tightly and pressed a kiss into her wet hair. Leo put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay, bro?”

Raph gave a slight nod. “Yeah, we just need to be alone for a while.”

Leo smiled slightly. “I’ll make sure no one bothers you.”

Raph lifted Cat back into his arms and gave his elder brother a look of gratitude. “Thanks, Leo.” Then he walked down the hall to their bedroom and closed the door behind them.


	8. Family is Forever

Raph frowned as he held Cat tightly while they lay in their bed. He’d noticed the steady increase in her temperature and she was sweating now. He’d helped her out of the wet clothes and she’d crawled straight into bed to warm up. Raph had quietly cuddled her as she’d fallen asleep. That had been several hours ago.

Now as she trembled, he knew she was definitely carrying a fever. She also carried a slight shift in her scent which said she was sick. She’d caught a cold from being outside so long in the rain with no protection. He felt his guts twist with guilt. She’d run off because of him – because he couldn’t tell her how he really felt. He’d never let a thing like that happen again, his pride be damned. His grip tightened on her and she shifted a little closer.

“I’m still cold.” She murmured against his chest.

He sighed. “I know. How about I get you something warm to eat?”

She leaned back to look at him. “Okay, I must be sick. Because I thought I just heard you offer to cook something for me?”

He snorted. “I can warm soup.” His eyes softened. “I’ll get you some tea too.”

“Now I must be getting delirious.” She teased softly.

He chuckled, stroking her cheek. His eyes grew dark. “I’m sorry. You’re sick because of me.”

“No, I’m sick because I was stupid enough to run out into a rainstorm without a coat. I don’t blame this on you.” She yawned and closed her eyes.

He pressed a kiss to her brow. “Sleep, I’ll get that soup for you.” She shivered as he left the bed. He tucked the covers around her before leaving.

When Raph crossed the living room, he paused to stare at Kala, who looked like she was about to fall asleep. Beside her sat Mira with a bowl of dry cereal. He patted her head. “Hey, munchkin.” She smiled up at him and then went back to watching cartoons.

On a blanket on the floor, Kaz was laying on his plastron kicking his little legs. He looked around and gurgled happily. Raph shook his head. He remembered hearing the infant wake only about ten minutes after they’d gotten home. Taking pity on Kala, he nudged her shoulder. She started and blinked up at him. “You want some coffee?”

She nodded then blinked. “Uh, you know how to make coffee?”

He shrugged. “Mikey does it, how hard can it be?”

Kala chuckled lightly as he turned and entered the kitchen to try his hand at warming the soup. He’d done it once or twice before and felt pretty comfortable with that part. Tea was simple enough too. He eyed the coffee maker. Coffee, however, was a different story.

He started the soup and tea then turned his attention to the coffee pot. “Now, where does Sarah keep Don’s coffee at?” After a few moments of rummaging through the cabinets he found the elusive bag. He looked it over for instructions but there weren’t any. He frowned. Well, maybe this would be harder than he thought. He dumped some water in the maker and then put two large scoops of coffee in the top. He turned the unit on with a smirk. “Hey, that wasn’t so bad.”

Leo climbed from his bed and stretched. He smiled as he bent to push a long dark lock from Amaya’s sleeping face and place a kiss on her cheek. Then slipped on his gear and headed out into the kitchen, past Mira, Kala and Kaz. He blinked in surprise to find Raph stirring a pot on the stove.

“Hey, Raph. How are you doing?”

Raph glanced at him over his shoulder. “To tell the truth, I’m still pretty ticked at that Dandrick creep.” He sighed. “But I need to focus on Cat right now.”

Leo slipped into a chair, looking at his hands. “How is she feeling?” The question sounded lame. He knew she was probably just as upset that some stranger had kissed her as Raph was. And although she was tough around the edges, he knew she was just as fragile as the other girls on the inside.

“I think she’s sick.” Raph’s voice was tinged with anger and regret. He was still mad at himself for making Cat take off like that.

Leo looked up. “Sick? Have you told Don or Sarah yet?”

“Yeah, she’s running a fever. It’s probably from being out in the rain for so long last night.” Raph moved to pour the soup into a bowl. “And no, I haven’t told them yet. I thought maybe some soup and tea might make her feel better first.”

Leo glanced past him at the coffee pot. “And I assume the coffee is for Kala?”

Raph couldn’t help the small smile as he poured Cat’s tea and Kala’s coffee. “Yeah, looks like she needs it.”

Leo gave a small chuckle and then frowned. “Say, Raph, you okay with me and Amaya going away tonight?”

Raph grinned. “Yeah, bro. Don’t worry, we’ll be alright. You just go enjoy yourselves.”

Leo smiled slyly. “Oh, I plan on it.”

Raph shook his head with a laugh as he left with the tray of food. “Honeymooners.”

As he headed back across the living room, he stopped to hand Kala the coffee. She eyed it for a moment before taking a tentative sip. She nearly gagged as her mouth was filled with grit. Raph blinked at her. “What?”

She shook her head not wanting to hurt his feelings. “Uh, it’s just too strong. I better get some sugar.”

“Oh.” He nodded and walked off.

Kala got up and took her mug back into the kitchen. Leo eyed her as she dumped it out. “Raph forgot to use a filter.” She explained, earning a laugh from Leo. Coffee grounds filled the bottom of the sink. She glanced at the full pot that was still on the warmer.  “Oh, well, better get rid of the evidence before Sarah or Donnie find it like that.”

Across the lair, Sarah lay on her stomach in their bed. She let out a soft sigh as Donnie slid his hands gently over her bare body. When he came to the long scar on her right arm, he traced it gently with his fingers. Despite the nearly ten years since its creation, it still held a firm line of scar tissue. She turned her head to look up at him as a wave of his regret filled her. “It was a long time ago.”

“I know.” He said softly, trailing his large fingers over it. “But it doesn’t mean I wish I couldn’t have prevented it any less. I wish….I wish we would have had this healing power back then. We might have been able to avoid this.”

She caught his hand and turned fully to him. She slid over to lie against his chest and he sighed, the sensation making his entire body relax. “You know,” she said softly against his plastron, “I could say the same thing. You have a lot more scars than I do.” She lifted her arm to look at the mark. “Thing is, I don’t regret it. It reminds me of where we’ve been and how far we’ve come. And it also reminds me every day how precious this life is that we have together.”

He propped himself up on an elbow so he could look down into her eyes. He smiled. “How did you get so wise, my love?”

She grinned. “I guess it rubbed off from you.”

“Oh, yeah?” He teased as he leaned down.

She giggled. “Yeah.” He closed this distance between them, capturing her lips with unrestrained passion.

Mikey rolled over and instinctively reached for Kala and frowned when he found the place beside him empty. He sighed as he opened his eyes. ‘ _That’s right Kala took Kaz out so I could sleep. I didn’t realize having a kid was going to cramp my style so much.’_ He sat up and started putting on his gear. The thought melting away as he looked at the crib against the wall. ‘ _But I wouldn’t change a thing.’_ He stepped into the living room and smiled.

Kala was asleep on the couch, while on the floor Mira was lying next to Kaz reading him a story. He chuckled when he saw the title: _The Tortoise and The Hare_. Mira was trying her best to do the voices like he did and it made him laugh more. He picked up a blanket and laid it over Kala as he stepped around the couch. “Hey, can I read it with you, dudette?”

“Of course!” Mira hopped up and handed him the book. Mikey scooped up Kaz, who was still making happy noises. Putting his son in his lap and wrapping an arm around his niece, he began to read their favorite story. After he’d read it through at least three times, Mira looked up at him. “Uncle Mikey, would be okay if I gave Kaz my teddy? Maybe it would keep him happy and he wouldn’t be lonely at night.”

Mikey felt a lump grow in his throat and he pulled the girl close, while fighting the sting of tears. “I think he’d like that a lot.”

_‘No, I definitely wouldn’t change a thing.’_

&*&*&*&*&*

Leo pulled the van onto the small dirt road. Amaya sat beside him on the long bench seat. She watched with fascination as the trees formed a canopy over them, hiding the road from strangers and blocking out the rest of the world.

Leo smiled as he stopped near the pond. Their favorite spot was still as pristine as the day they’d first seen it. It was still daylight, but the sun was creeping towards the horizon. The sun sparkled on the pond’s surface. “I know you don’t really remember what Japan looked like, so I thought I’d show you the closest thing I could get to it.”

He helped her from the van and led her down to the bank. She smiled. “It is breathtaking.”

He watched the reflection of the sun from the water dance across her face. Her blue-gray eyes were wide and curious. The world seemed so fresh and new to her with her newfound sight. He brushed a hand through her long dark locks. “Yes, it is.” He was in no way referring to their surroundings though.

She turned and embraced him. “What a wonderful gift.”

Leo chuckled. “That is just the beginning. Wait here.” He returned to the van and pulled out the gear he’d brought. Within a few minutes he had the tent and the small camping stove set up. He pulled up an old log for Amaya to sit on while he started a fire.

“Let’s go for a swim.” He stood and started to pull off his gear. “Summer’s lasted longer than normal this year. The water should still be warm enough.”

She blinked. “But I’ve never been swimming before.”

He smirked as he helped her up. “No problem, we turtles are natural swimmers.” He pulled the obi of her kimono and the material fell loose. He pushed it from her shoulders, so that the sun could sprinkle upon the pure porcelain white skin beneath. She blushed as unadulterated desire passed through his eyes. His voice was low and husky as he spoke. “Don’t worry, we are completely alone.”

She met his gaze steady and true. “I have no fears when I am with you, my husband.”

“You are so beautiful.” He pulled her tight against him as he kissed her deeply and thoroughly. He could feel her heart pounding as she gripped his plastron and it thrilled him to no end to know she desired to be here as much as he. He slipped his arms beneath her and carried her down to the water.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, breaking the kiss to watch the water rising up to meet her. As he lowered her into the slightly cool water, she snuggled a little closer. For a while he held her tightly until he was certain she felt secure enough to stand on her own. After a while she became bolder and he pulled her arms over his shoulders to take her into the center of the pond where it was much deeper. He smiled when her arms tightened around his neck and her check pressed against his. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She chuckled. “I know.”

The sun burned a lovely red-orange as it started setting behind the tree line on the far bank and the temperature began to drop. The couple made their way back to their camp. They dried themselves with the large warm towels. Then Leo helped her on with her kimono and they sat beside the fire. Amaya leaned back into his chest with a contented sigh. “That was a wonderful experience.”

“Well, you were going to have to learn sometime. Mira loves to come swimming here. But we didn’t this past year, not with….everything that happened.”

She turned to press her face into his neck. She knew the passing of his father still weighed on him. “I understand.”

He sighed, brushing a hand through her hair. “I know you do.”

She sat back with a smile. “I have a gift for you.”

He grinned. “You do?”

She rose and retrieved something from her bag. She handed it to him as she sat back beside him. He slowly unwrapped the paper to stare in stunned silence for a moment. In his hands was one of the finest haori he had ever seen. The traditional coat was a deep blue that matched his mask and on each side of the breast was embroidered the crest of the Hamato family. He ran his fingers over the intricate stitching. “Oh, Amaya, how on Earth did you ever manage this?”

She smiled a bit sheepishly. “I have fair skill with a needle and thread, though I had to have Sarah teach me embroidery. I had not learned that particular skill until now.”

He looked up at her with astonishment. “You made this!” He pulled her to him in a crushing embrace. “You are incredible, saiai.”

She smiled. “I take it then, that you like it.”

He chuckled at her tease. “I don’t just like it, I love it.” He kissed her brow. “I have something for you as well.”

He retrieved his bag and pulled out a large box. “I didn’t make it though.” She chuckled as she opened it. Inside was lovely kimono. Large blue and pink flowers covered the outer layer while the inside was a pale blue made of silk. “You had to leave so much behind when we left Japan. I thought you deserved a new one.”

She smiled up at him, love reflecting in her eyes by the fire light.  “It is the most wonderful gift I have ever been given.”

He grinned. “Well, if you think that’s something. I have one more gift.” He pulled a smaller box from his bag.

She took it slowly from him. “But you have already given me so much.”

He shook his head. “We will only celebrate our first year once. Go on, open it.”

She gave him a small sideways smile as she opened the box. She gasped, her heart jumping into her throat. She pressed a hand to her mouth as tears slipped from her eyes. In the box rested a blue diamond, clasped in a slender golden chain.

Leo slipped behind her and brushed her long ebony locks from the back of her neck. “This past year has been the most amazing of my entire life.” He pulled the chain from the box, allowing the firelight to shimmer through it for a moment. Then he slipped it around her neck. “You have completed me in ways I never knew were missing. You came into my life at such a terrible time and you filled it with light and happiness. You will have my love, Amaya, as long as there are stars in the sky and diamonds beneath the earth.”

She turned in his arms to kiss him. Expressing her love and gratitude for him in the only way she knew how. Words seemed useless here. She had to show him – had to let him know just how wonderful he was, how special. So, in the pale starlight, the universe blessed the pair of lovers with its secret. Love did indeed live as long as the stars.


End file.
